I welcome this opportunity to discuss this matter, on which we had a significant debate in the Seanad. There are genuine concerns about pure traditional music in this regard. Tomorrow we will finalise the short Bill, the intellectual property (miscellaneous provisions) Bill and the more comprehensive Bill will be introduced in a number of months. I am anxious to monitor the situation. I have had discussions with representatives of Comhaltas Ceoltóiri Éireann and IMRO on this issue. I want to get the balance right. As I understand it and as I have been advised by the Attorney General's office, traditional Irish music is secure because it is not possible to capture copyright in the original piece. As the Deputy is aware, there can be a copyright for sound recordings and arrangements, but we are talking about the original piece.
For example, copyright is available for the arrangements and sound recordings of O'Riada's music and some of them have been deposited with Gael Linn, but that does not give O'Riada's estate the right to stop performances of, for example, O'Carolan's concerto, which is the pure original performance. This is a complex area. There is a great difference between sound recordings and arrangements and the pure original piece. That is the legal position and my advice. I can assure the Deputy I will monitor this area because I and other Deputies are concerned about it.