Like in any other countries, copyright infringement is on the rise in the country. Although there are laws and implementing agencies to curb this, the level of awareness on copyright is still relatively low amongst the people.
This is according to the second edition of the magazine published by the Department of Intellectual property under the Ministry of Economic Affairs yesterday.
“We have a voluntary deposit or registration system. Voluntary in the sense that original creators and authors need not come to register in order to get benefits of copyright. In our case having a registration basically serves as a prima facie evidence should there be infringement cases. What we are trying to do is to create greater awareness of copyright and related rights through the publication of such magazine is one effort. We are also looking at how audiovisual programs can further enhance the understanding and appreciation of copyright works. We are also distributing pamphlets in schools as well as various circles of our society,” said Kinley Tenzin Wangchuk, the Director General for Dept. of Intellectual Property, MoEA.
Music, artistic drawings, architectural drawings and literary compositions can be copied by someone without the consent or knowledge of the original composer. It is illegal to earn a living through somebody’s work while they do not benefit as the makers of that work. The magazine also highlights the importance of trademark registry, a sign capable of distinguishing one’s goods and services from those of other enterprises.
According to the officials, the worst affected is the movies industry. To further enhance the awareness of copyright and related rights, the department is also under the process of developing other materials like audio spots and music videos. The Copyright Act of the Kingdom of Bhutan, 2001 says any infringement of a right protected under this Act, if committed wilfully, or by gross negligence, and for profit-making purposes, shall be punishable by imprisonment for a period of up to one year or by a fine of up to Nu 1 M or by both.
