By: Denis Chabrol
The United States (US) appears to be stepping up its focus on intellectual property protection in Guyana, with American Ambassador, Perry Holloway urging locals not to buy bogus products and welcoming signals that government is about to draft modern copyright legislation.
“Today, on World Intellectual Property Day, I salute them and encourage all of us to support local content creators – from artists to inventors to software engineers – by purchasing their work through legal means and applauding those advocating for change,” he said in an Op-Ed to mark World Intellectual Property Day on April 26. This year’s theme is “Powering Change: Women in Innovation and Creativity”.
Holloway said as the Guyana government prepares “to take up the pen on copyright legislation, he commended the ministers, advocates, and content creators that have been and will continue to champion an improved framework of IPR protections in country.
“They are the visionaries that see, today, how legislation, treaties, and outreach will ultimately benefit the people and the economy,” he added.
Owners of creative works still have to rely on the 1956 British Copyright Act that Guyana inherited from Britain at the time of independence in 1966.
Guyana is particularly known for the reproduction and sale of music, movies and textbooks. Several years ago, when a local mass-producer of copied foreign textbooks was on the verge of winning a bid to supply the Ministry of Education, the United Kingdom Publishers association had taken legal action. That had eventually led to several agents for the British publishers bidding to supply original versions of the textbooks.
Concerns have also been raised about some television stations relaying foreign content without permission and also obtaining local sponsorship. A number of local businesses have also named their entities after well-known established names.
The US Ambassador noted that the American embassy’s recent event on the role of copyright protections in promoting local content and business development in Guyana reflected that theme, from an opening speech by Minister of Public Telecommunications Catherine Hughes to the inclusion of remarkable women artists that added a wealth of depth to that panel and audience.
Holloway said through their voices and the insight of all of the event’s panelists, they have concluded that it is necessary to stop stealing other persons’ original works to ensure the creators continue to earn and contribute to Guyana’s development. “To honor content creators around the world, we must consider how we can protect their work from theft. Only this will ensure they receive the credit and financial reward to enable them to keep using their creative talents to better themselves, to better their craft, to better Guyana, and ultimately to better the world,” the American envoy said.
He noted that every year on World Intellectual Property Day, the opportunity is seized to learn about the role that patents, trademarks, and copyright play in promoting innovation, creativity, and progress. “As we celebrate this year under the worldwide theme “Powering Change: Women in Innovation and Creativity,” we recognize the ingenuity of women around the world, who are bravely using their ideas, designs, and products to shape a brighter future for us all,” he added.
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