IP Dept urges copyright owners to spare SMEs
THE INTELLECTUAL Propert Depart-ment has called for copyright holders and copyright-fee collectors to exempt small and medium-sized businesses from paying fees for playing music to customers and to send warning letters before taking legal action.
After meeting with 19 copyright owners and 29 fee collectors last week, Nuntawan Sakuntanaga, director-general of the department, said yesterday that it would try to find a fair outcome to ensure satisfaction for everyone concerned.
The meeting followed a coffee-shop owner being threatened with a Bt200,000 fine for breaching copyright law by playing songs on YouTube. The case has been a hot topic on social media, with much disagreement over whether the shop violated the law.
The department has asked copyright owners and fee collectors to keep it informed, and says it will use the information to try to ensure fair practice for all involved.
It was also proposed at the meeting that the department set up a one-stop service for collecting copyright fees to prevent duplication in such collections and to decrease expenses for copyright owners.
Copyright owners and fee collectors urged the department to provide the public with clear information about intellectual-property rights and the penalties for copyright infringements.
