Changes to copyright laws on the cards

"We need the support of all stakeholders to develop intellectual property rights," Industry and Commerce Minister Rishard Bathiudeen told members of the Intellectual Property Advisory Commission of Sri Lanka (IPACSL) at the presentation of letters of appointment for their new three-year term at the Ministry premises recently. Major changes to the copyright laws for better protection of the creators, are in the offing. The IPACSL advises the National Intellectual Property Office on matters on IP and patents and their future direction.

The appointments were made under Section 162 of the Intellectual Property Act No 36 of 2003.

Minister Bathiudeen appointed Ms Suganthi Wijayasuriya-Kadirgamar as the new Chairperson of IPACSL. Mrs Kadirgamar is the Senior Partner of Sri Lanka's oldest law firm, F. J. and G. de Saram.

Attorney-at-Law and senior partner of Julius and Creasy, J M Swaminathan, Attorneys-at-Law Dinal Philips, Anura Jayasinghe, Gazzali Hussain, Palitha Gamage and M. K. M. Sajath, former banker S. Subairtheen, musician Nadeesha Guruge, and Ayurvedic Physician Dr Danister Perera are the other appointed members while Director-General of Intellectual Property, Geethanjali Ranawaka is the ex-officio member.

"We will give our fullest support to make Sri Lanka a modern commercial state," Ms Kadirgamar said.

"Every three years this Commission is re-appointed. I have been in this Commission for almost every term except for a short period. We have been working on various amendments from time to time. Plant varieties, traditional knowledge, amendment to copyright sections, Geographic Indicators (GI), Treaty on copyright for disabled," said J M Swaminathan.

"There has been quite a demand for Sri Lanka's GI regime to be changed as per the demands of global export market saying that the present laws need to be strengthened," he said.

"A sub-committee was appointed, and it recommended certain amendments as an interim measure and final measure. Much work on the upgrading of traditional knowledge has been done and some of them will be completed this year," Swaminathan said.

"More importantly, there is no provision under our law for copyright registration. If you write a book, under the current system, and someone copies it, you have to go to Courts and prove that you have authored it," he said.

"With the forthcoming changes to our copyright laws, the author can do an optional registration of the book as soon as it is completed so that there is a proof of title benefitting the author when a copyright claim arises," Swaminathan said.