Call to legalise DVD ‘pirates’By SANDRA SINGH Friday, February 15 2008
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DUET: Rashidah Vitalis (left) and Aniya Carty teamed up to form the perfect Operatic Duet to win that class at Queen's Hall on Wednesday night. ...
THE TT Association for Media Entertainment (TTAME) is supporting the move for music and DVD “pirates” to acquire mechanical licences as a solution to stem the rampant practice of piracy.
Currently, according to statistics provided by the TTAME, there are approximately 5,000 DVD and music CD vendors on the street, with as many as 3,000 of these vendors being single mothers. Out of the 5,000, at least 40 vendors had the mechanical licenses.
However, Copyright Organisation of TT (COTT) president Alison Demas told Newsday the mechanical licences were issued since the organisation’s establishment, in relation to original recordings. She added that these licences were not for the sellers but for the manufacturers and distributors of the originals.
At a press conference yesterday at the Mas Camp Pub in Woodbrook, TTAME assistant Secretary and Protocol Officer Richard Ramlal said, “The massive licensing drive would have a two pronged effect of raising public awareness on the issue and legitimising and regularising the use of works in a manner that benefits the owner of the copyright.”
According to the TTAME release, “the licence should contain all the necessary elements to bring the standard of the copy in line with that of the original product as well as the fee to be paid which will translate into royalties for the owner for the copyright.”
Recently, lawmen initiated a crackdown on music and DVD pirates resulting in several arrests. However, members of the TTAME condemned the action saying that “these attacks have sought to portray DVD vendors as thieves, murderers, kidnappers and rapists incapable of speaking for or representing themselves.”
Representative of the TT Copyrights Collection Organisation (TTCCO) Rene Coryat also stated that the TTCCO supported the ‘pirates’ as they sought “to regularise their status in terms of legitimisation.” Saying this was the only way of alleviating piracy, Coryat said “90 percent of the public had pirated material in their possession and because of this there was a need to bring the actions of these vendors in line with international copyright practices.”
The mechanical licensing would allow material to be replicated en masse for distribution and sale with artistes receiving “mechanical royalties which would give them revenues.” It was revealed that the price of the DVDs and other material would increase from as much as $25 to $60.
