UAEG AMENDING COPYRIGHT LAW TO BETTER PROTECT U.S.

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 000403 SIPDIS SENSITIVE DEPT FOR NEA, NEA/ARP, EB/IPC FOR WILSON PASS GENEVA TO USTR E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: ECON KIPR ETRD WTO USTR TC SUBJECT: UAEG AMENDING COPYRIGHT LAW TO BETTER PROTECT U.S. RECORD COMPANIES ¶1. (U) UAE MINISTRY OF INFORMATION, DIRECTOR OF COPYRIGHTS ALI AL-BALOUSHI CONFIRMED TO ECONCHIEF ON FEBRUARY 11 THAT THE UAEG INTENDS TO ISSUE REGULATIONS UNDER THE 2002 COPYRIGHT LAW TO ALLOW FOR SPECIALIZED COLLECTING SOCIETIES. THESE SOCIETIES ARE A PRACTICAL WAY FOR SOUND RECORDING COMPANIES TO COLLECT ROYALTIES ON THE BROADCAST AND PERFORMANCE OF COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL. ALTHOUGH THE 2002 COPYRIGHT LAW PERMITS COPYRIGHT HOLDERS TO ENGAGE IN COLLECTIVE ADMINISTRATION OF THEIR RIGHTS, IT DOES NOT LAY OUT SPECIFIC PROCEDURES FOR THE LICENSING OF SUCH SOCIETIES. ¶2. (U) Al-Baloushi verified that the Copyright Department recently created the procedures for a collecting society to obtain a license, and forwarded its language to the Ministry of Justice for approval. He expects the UAEG to release the regulations within a month, thereby immediately permitting the establishment of collecting societies. ¶3. (SBU) Al-Baloushi noted that his office, in cooperation with local police, had made significant strides in protecting copyrighted material in the UAE. He noted, however, that the Buraimi Oasis (a jointly-patrolled area on the UAE-Oman border) remained the biggest problem for enforcement. Al-Baloushi lamented that he had met several times with his Omani counterparts, but that the Omani authorities were indifferent to the cross-border trade in Buraimi of goods violating IPR regulations. "They did a good job of enforcement when they were trying to get into the WTO, but now." Al-Baloushi posited that the Omanis would better patrol their side of the border only if the USG urged them to do so. ¶4. (SBU) Comment: According to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA),the UAEG had said that collecting society regulations would be issued in October ¶2003. The process of moving regulations through the UAE bureaucracy is cumbersome, however, and probably the cause of the delay. Because these regulations do not need to be approved by all seven emirates, we are hopeful that the MoJ will release them relatively quickly. End comment. WAHBA