The issue of home recording royalties is one of the many subjects which is currently being examined in depth by the Intellectual Property Unit of my Department in the context of a comprehensive review of Irish copyright law. It is also an issue which is being examined by the European Commission and by the Committees of Experts working on a possible Protocol to the Berne Convention and a possible new Instrument on the Rights of Performers and Producers of Phonograms.
When these bodies have concluded their examination of this very difficult subject and come forward with recommendations the Government will decide on whether or not to introduce home recording royalties into Irish copyright law.
The introduction of royalties places real costs on domestic users of tapes and recording equipment. It may also diminish the exclusive nature of the authors' existing rights to control reproduction. This might not be in the long-term interests of Irish composers, artists and music publishers and may, indeed, work to their detriment. For this reason alone I do not propose to rush into a decision on this issue which could have detrimental effects on both consumers and the music industry at large.
I am aware of the huge level of interest in Irish music overseas and the possibilities for revenue generation for the industry from that source. However, I am also aware that the vast majority of music played and audiovisual material used in Ireland and taped onto blank tapes is not of Irish origin and any reciprocal arrangements could lead to large outflows of money from the Irish economy. Whilst it is extremely difficult to quantify the precise level of this out-flow I am fairly sure that the overall result would be substantially negative from an Irish economic point of view.
