The law is a confirmation of our rights as producers and these rights need to be respected. M -YAP and IFPI will work with Turkish enforcement bodies to stop pirate imports at the borders and to clamp down on local production and distribution of illegal music. The European Union considers proper protection of copyright as a priority issue in its accession negotiations with Turkey. Organised criminal gangs are mostly active in the field of cassette piracy. Some 8 per cent of pirate music recordings found on the Turkish market are of international repertoire, mainly compilations of hits, compared to 92 per cent local repertoire.
Internet piracy is also on the increase, with dozens of unlicensed sites broadcasting music on-line.
In March 2001, President Sezer signed a bill of amendments to the Turkish Copyright Law. This legislation contains measures to combat copyright infringement from a civil and criminal point of view. The new law goes a long way to implementing the WIPO Treaties and other international and bilateral agreements on the protection of intellectual property.