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Dáil Éireann debate -
Tuesday, 9 Feb 1999

Vol. 500 No. 1

Written Answers - Copyright and Related Rights.

David Stanton

Question:

97 Mr. Stanton asked the Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment the Government's response to the EU draft directive on the information society. [3492/99]

I assume the Deputy is referring to the proposal of the European Parliament and the Council on the harmonisation of certain aspects of copyright and related rights in the information society. The Government welcomes this proposal in principle. The protection of intellectual property is vital for economic prosperity in the information society. In this context, the proposed directive will address the need for further harmonisation of copyright and related rights in the framework of the Internal Market in the face of the new challenges of the digital environment. The proposal is also intended to enable the European Union to adhere to the two new World Intellectual Property Organisation, WIPO, treaties; the WIPO copyright treaty, WCT, and the WIPO performance and phonograms treaty, WPPT.

The proposed directive has been the subject of discussions at Council working group level and Ireland had actively participated in these discussions. The European Parliament intends to discuss this proposal in plenary session during the week commencing 8 February 1999 and to adopt its report on same. The European Commission will subsequently consider this report and hopes to adopt its findings in this regard by early April 1999.

The Deputy will be aware that my Department is in the process of preparing a new Copyright and Related Rights Bill which is designed to provide Ireland with a state-of-the-art regime of statutory protection for copyright and related rights. This new legislation will take account of Ireland's EU and international obligations, including the WCT and the WPPT, as well as technology developments. The priority issues addressed in the proposed directive in relation to the right of reproduction, right of communication to the public, technological developments and rights management information and the right of distribution of physical copies are four of the major items being examined by my Department in the context of the new Bill.

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