This conference will be a critical first step for mounting an anti-piracy campaign in Guatemala. Pirate CDs are a growing presence in this market, and Mexico is a major source of this pirate supply. Border enforcement measures in Guatemala are completely ineffective to stop the flood of pirated product. Enactment of the new copyright law, as well as the Government s public commitment to fight piracy, are urgently needed to combat this piracy problem. Books Unauthorized photocopying and commercial piracy are the prevalent forms of book piracy in Guatemala.
Medical text are a favorite target, as are books on law and social sciences.
In some cases, books are sold by pirates at double the legitimate price. Photocopying in universities is common. The major legislative concern in Guatemala is the incredible delay in drafting, introducing, and adopting new copyright legislation. Almost three years ago, the Guatemalan Government crafted a copyright bill, after several years of consideration. The proposed text which circulated in 1995 represented an improvement over the totally archaic 1954 Copyright Law, but still contained numerous provisions which failed to comply with international standards.