RESTRICTED
WORLD TRADE IP/Q/IRL/1
24October 1996
ORGANIZATION(96-4444)
Original: English Council forTrade-Related Aspects
ofIntellectual Property Rights
REVIEW OFLEGISLATION ONCOPYRIGHT AND RELATED RIGHTS
Ireland1
Thepresent document reproduces thequestions puttothedelegation ofIreland andtheresponses
given inthereview oflegislation oncopyright andrelated rights attheCouncil 'smeeting of
22to25July19962.
_______________
REPLIES TOQUESTIONS POSED BYTHE UNITED STATES
1. Please explain whether andhowIrish lawprovides protection forworks, phonograms and
performances from other WTO Members andwhether andhowitdoessoonthebasis ofnational
treatment, asrequired byTRIPS Article 3(generally, withrespect toallcopyrights andneighbouring
rights) andArticle 9.1(incorporating Berne Article 5(1)).Inparticular, please explain hownational
treatment isafforded withrespect tothedistribution oflevies forprivate copying under therelevant
provisions ofIrishlaw.
Ireland provides protection forworks andphonograms intheCopyright Acts1963-1987 and
provides protection forperformances inthePerformers Protection Act1968.
Section 43oftheCopyright Act1963 confers power ontheIrishGovernment toextend the
benefit oftheIrishCopyright Actstoothercountries. Section 12ofthePerformers Protection Act1968
provides similar powers inrespect ofperformances.
Irishlawprovides protection, interalia,forworks andphonograms fromotherWTO Members
onthebasis ofnational treatment intheCopyright (Foreign Countries) Order 1996 -S.I.No.36of
1996 andprovides protection forperformances onthebasis ofnational treatment inthePerformers '
Protection (Foreign Countries) (Amendment) Order 1996 -S.I.No.39of1996. These Orders extend
protection under theCopyright Acts1963-87 andunder thePerformers Protection Act1968tocountries
which haveratified oracceded totheMarrakesh Agreement Establishing theWorld Trade Organization
Done atMarrakesh on15thdayofApril 1994.
There are,however, some ofArticles 1-21oftheBerne Convention which Ireland hasnot
sofaracceded to.TheParisActof1971introduced amendments totheConvention on(1)translations
1Ireland 'snotification oflawsandregulations intheareaofcopyright andrelated rights under Article 63.2
oftheAgreement hasbeen circulated indocuments IP/N/1/IRL/1 andIP/N/1/IRL/C/1.
2Theminutes ofthemeeting have been circulated indocument IP/C/M/8.IP/Q/IRL/1
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ofofficial works, (2)protection ofarchitectural works, (3)moral rights ofauthors, (4)anonymous
andpseudonymous works, (5)ownership ofrights infilmand(6)therecognition ofbodies established
toprotect therights ofunknown authors ofunpublished works. TheCopyright Acts1963-1987 do
notcontain provisions thatcover these aspects oftheParis Act. TheIrishGovernment, however, is
currently deeply involved inareview ofitscopyright legislation andisactively preparing anew
Copyright Billwhich willcover allofIreland 'sinternational obligations.
Irishlawdoesnotprovide forlevies forprivate copying. However, thisisanother oftheareas
which wearecarefully examining inpreparing ournewcomprehensive piece ofcopyright legislation.
2. Does Ireland apply the"rule oftheshorter term" tophonograms andperformances fromother
WTO Members? Ifsoplease explain howyoujustify suchaction under TRIPS Article 4.
S.I.No.158of1995-European Communities (Term ofProtection ofCopyright) Regulations
1995 provides for50years protection forphonograms inlinewith thecontents ofCouncil
Directive 93/98/EEC harmonizing thetermofprotection ofcopyright andcertain related rights. The
Performers Protection Act1968 prevents themaking ofunauthorized records, films andbroadcasts
ofperformances.
Section 43oftheCopyright Act1963confers power ontheIrishGovernment toextend benefit
ofthisActtoothercountries. Section 12ofthePerformers Protection Act1968provides similar powers
inrespect ofperformances. Irishlawprovides protection, interalia,forphonograms fromother WTO
MembersintheCopyright(ForeignCountries)Order1996-S.I.No.36of1996andprovidesprotection
forperformances inthePerformers 'Protection (Foreign Countries) (Amendment) Order
1996 -S.I.No.39of1996. These Orders extend copyright protection tocountries which haveratified
oracceded totheMarrakesh Agreement Establishing theWorld Trade Organization Done atMarrakesh
on15thdayofApril 1994.
3. PleaseexplainwhetherandhowIrelandprotectsagainstboththedirectandindirectreproduction
ofphonograms asrequired byTRIPS Article 14.2, including bydigital transmission inthecontext of
interactive services.
Section17oftheIrishCopyrightAct1963providesprotectionagainstboththedirectandindirect
reproduction ofphonograms.
However, section 13oftheCopyright Act1963 provides forspecial exceptions inrespect of
records ofmusical works. Thisisanareawhich isbeing carefully looked atinpreparing Ireland 's
newcopyright legislation. Thisnewpiece oflegislation willcover allofIreland 'sinternational
obligations.
Section 43oftheCopyright Act1963confers power ontheIrishGovernment toextend benefit
ofthisActtoother countries. TheCopyright (Foreign Countries) Order 1996 -S.I.No.36of1996
(which provides, interalia,protection tophonograms) extends copyright protection tocountries which
haveratified oracceded totheMarrakesh Agreement Establishing theWorld Trade Organization Done
atMarrakesh on15thdayofApril 1994.
Digital transmission inthecontext ofinteractive services wasnotpartofthenegotiations which
tookplace during theestablishment oftheTRIPS Agreement.IP/Q/IRL/1
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[Follow-up question]
Does thereproduction rightforphonograms intheIrishCopyright Actinclude reproductions
made fromabroadcast ordigital transmission?
Section 17(4) oftheCopyright Act1963 specifically setsouttheactsrestricted bycopyright
inasoundrecording.Theseincludereproductionsmadefromabroadcastand,webelieve,reproductions
resulting fromadigital transmission. Asregards digital transmissions, thisisamatter forinterpretation
bytheCourts andthere isnocaselawtodateonthissubject matter.
4. PleaseexplainwhetherandhowIrelandprovidesfullretroactiveprotectiontoworks,phonograms
andperformances fromother WTO Members, asrequired byBerne Article 18,asincorporated through
Article 9.1ofTRIPS, andTRIPS Article 14.6, andgivethedatebacktowhich protection extends as
toeachofthese categories ofsubject matter.
Ireland provides fullretroactive protection toworks, phonograms andperformances.
Section 174ofpartVIoftheIndustrial andCommercial Property (Protection) Act1927
-Preservation ofexisting copyrights -states, interalia:
"(1) Therepeal oftheCopyright Act1911bythisActshallnotsaveasisotherwise expressly
provided inthispartofthisActaddno,derogate from, orotherwise affect anycopyright
orother rightacquired before the6thdayofDecember 1921, under orbyvirtue of
theCopyright Act1911, oranyorder made thereunder."
TheCopyright Act1963 makes newprovision inrespect ofcopyright andrelated matters.
Section 38ofpartVIIIoftheCopyright Act1963 states:
"(1) Except insofarasitisotherwise expressly provided inthisSchedule, theprovisions
ofthisActapply inrelation tothings existing atthecommencement ofthose provisions
astheyapply inrelation tothings coming intoexistence thereafter.
"(2) Forthepurposes ofanyreferences inthisSchedule toworks, sound recordings or
cinematograph filmsmade before thecommencement ofaprovision ofthisAct,awork,
recording orfilm, themaking ofwhich extended overaperiod, shallnotbetaken to
havebeensomade unless themaking ofitwascompleted before thecommencement
ofthatprovision."
ThePerformers Protection Act1968 prevents themaking ofunauthorized records, films and
broadcasts ofperformances.
Section 43oftheCopyright Act1963, confers power ontheIrishGovernment toextend benefit
ofthisActtoothercountries; section 12ofthePerformers Protection Act1968, provides similar powers
inrespect ofperformances. TheCopyright (Foreign Countries) Order 1996 -S.I.No.36of1996
(whichprovides,interalia,protectiontoworksandphonograms)andthePerformers'Protection(Foreign
Countries)(Amendment)Order1996-S.I.No.39of1996(whichprovidesprotectionforperformances)
extend protection tocountries which haveratified oracceded totheMarrakesh Agreement Establishing
theWorld Trade Organization Done atMarrakesh on15thdayofApril 1996.IP/Q/IRL/1
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[Follow-up question]
(i) Please explain theexceptions toretroactive protection referred toinparagraph 1of
Section 38ofPartVIIIoftheIrishCopyright Act.
(ii) Does thePerformers 'Protection Actof1968apply topre-existing performances, and
ifso,going backtowhatdate?
Theexceptions toretroactive protection referred toinparagraph IofSection 38ofPartVIII
oftheIrishCopyright Actaretobefound intheFirstSchedule oftheActwhich relates toTransitional
Provisions. (AcopyoftheFirstSchedule oftheActisattached).
(i) Theinterpretation ofthese provisions isamatter fortheCourts and,asfaraswecan
ascertain, therehasbeennocaselawonthesetransitional provisions intheIrishcourts.
Until suchtimeasthere is,theinterpretation oftheprecise content oftheprovisions
willhavetoremain open.
(ii) ThePerformers 'Protection Act,1968 doesnotapply topre-existing performances.
5. Itisnotclear whether computer programs areprotected asliterary works under Article 8of
theCopyright Act,andwhether compilations ofdatainmachine readable formareprotected. Please
explain whether andhowcomputer programs anddatabases andother compilations areprotected under
Irishlaw.
Computer programmes areprotected asliterary works inIrish law. Council Directive
No.91/250/EEC which protects computer programmes asliterary works wastransposed intoIrish
lawbyS.I.No.26of1993 -European Communities (Legal Protection ofComputer Programmes)
Regulations 1993.
Thisprotection forcomputer programmes asliterary works wasfurther encompassed inthe
Copyright (Foreign Countries) Order 1996 -S.I.No.36of1996, which extends copyright protection
tocountries which haveratified oracceded totheMarrakesh Agreement Establishing theWorld Trade
Organization Done atMarrakesh on15thdayofApril 1994.
Section 2(1)oftheCopyright Act1963defines "literary work" asincluding anywritten table
orcompilation. Theactsrestricted bythecopyright inaliterary, dramatic ormusical work aredetailed
insection 8(6)oftheAct.
Directive 96/9/EC oftheEuropean Parliament andoftheCouncil ontheLegal Protection of
Databases mustbeimplemented intoIrishlaw.Thiswillbedoneinthecontext ofournewCopyright
Actwhich iscurrently being prepared.
6. Please identify andexplain theprovision ofIrishlawthatprovides arental rightforproducers
ofsound recordings, cinematographic works andcomputer programs, asrequired byTRIPS Articles 11
and14.4.
There arenoprovisions inIrishlawatpresent which provide arental rightforproducers of
sound recordings, cinematographic works andcomputer programmes.
Thisisanother areawhich isbeing carefully examined inthecontext ofIreland 'scurrent overall
review ofcopyright andthepreparation ofournewCopyright Act. Indeed, EUCouncil DirectiveIP/Q/IRL/1
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of19November 1992 onrental rightandlending rightandoncertain rights related tocopyright in
thefieldofintellectual property must beimplemented intoIrishlawinthisnewlegislation.
[General follow-up question]
Inresponse toquestions 1,3and6,Ireland hasindicated thatitiscarefully examining certain
areas ofitslawsinpreparing anewcomprehensive piece ofcopyright legislation, inorder tofully
implement allofIreland 'sinternational obligations. Please indicated theexpected timetable forthis
newlegislation, andastoeachoftheareas identified intheanswers tothenoted questions, provide
whatever information isavailable astothechanges thatwillbemade toIrishlaw.
(i) Withregard totheexpected timetable forIreland 'snewlegislation, Ireland iscurrently inthe
process ofdrafting Heads ofBillfortheParliamentary Draftsman, whowilldraw upan
appropriate bill.Itisourintention tohavethese draftHeads completed andsubmitted tothe
Parliamentary Draftsman bytheendofthisyear. Abillwillthenbebrought before Parliament
assoonaspossible thereafter. Additional resources havebeenassigned tothistaskandIreland
istreating thisasamatter ofpriority.
(ii) Withregard toanychanges thatwillbemade toIrishLaw, itisnotpossible togiveanabsolute
indication ofwhatwillbecontained inthefinaltext,asthismatter mustgobefore Parliament.
However, thebillwilltakeaccount ofthenecessity tocomply withourinternational obligations.