'Copyright bill needed for globalization'<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Minister of Justice Oetojo Oesman said yesterday
\nthe government-sponsored bills on copyright, patents and
\ntrademarks were needed to anticipate globalization and free
\ntrade.<\/p>\n
Speaking at a plenary session of the House of Representatives,
\nOetojo said the government had adjusted the contents of the bills
\nto that of international laws, particularly the General Agreement
\non Tariffs and Trade (GATT)'s Agreement on Trade Related Aspects
\nof Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs).<\/p>\n
"If the bills do not conform with international regulations,
\nIndonesia will have difficulty when facing economic problems on
\nan international level," Oetojo said.<\/p>\n
TRIPs comprises norms and standards for the protection of
\nintellectual creations - including copyright, patents,
\ntrademarks, industrial product designs, trade secrets, and
\nelectronic integrated circuits.<\/p>\n
TRIPs is based on international agreements on intellectual
\nproperty rights such as the Bern Convention, the Paris
\nConvention, and the Washington Tract.<\/p>\n
Indonesia is not a member of the Bern Convention, but a member
\nof the Paris Convention, although with reservations. A number of
\nindustrial countries, like the United States, European countries
\nand Australia, have made bilateral agreements on TRIPs with
\nIndonesia to protect their products from TRIPs violations here.<\/p>\n
Yesterday's session was the third round of talks during which
\nOetojo responded to legislators' views and questions on the
\nbills.<\/p>\n
The government last month submitted three bills for revision
\nof current laws on copyright, patents and trademarks to the House
\nof Representatives for its next deliberation session.<\/p>\n
Oetojo said the revision was needed as a consequence of
\nIndonesia's 1994 ratification of the TRIPs.<\/p>\n
The soon to-be-revised laws are Law No. 6\/1982 on Copyright,
\nLaw No. 6\/1989 on Patents, and Law No. 19\/1992 on Trademarks.<\/p>\n
Responding to questions on the copyright bill, Oetojo said the
\ncopyright of products whose inventors were unknown would be held
\nby the state until a person claimed -- and managed to prove -- he
\nor she was the inventor of that product.<\/p>\n
"It is hard to determine how long the copyright of a product
\nmay be held by the state," Oetojo said.<\/p>\n
He explained that the copyright bill's clause on a 50-year
\nprotection period for computer programs was expected to create a
\nconducive climate for computer programmers and inventors to boost
\ntheir creativity.<\/p>\n
"Interminable moral protection (towards inventors) is limited
\nto the right to imprint an inventor's name or identity, including
\na pseudonym, on a product," he said.<\/p>\n
On the patents bill, Oetojo said a product could be considered
\nnew if, at the time a patent was requested, the product was not
\nthe same or was not a part of an earlier invention.<\/p>\n
"This also means a product can be considered new if it has
\nnever been endorsed both verbally and in writing," he said.<\/p>\n
He said if the product was a continuation of an earlier
\ninvention it could also be considered new. However, he added,
\nproducts like these must also meet several other criteria.<\/p>\n
According to the ministry's data, requests for patents between
\n1991 and 1996 totaled 17,068. Of this, 481 were domestic requests
\nand 16,587 were foreign.<\/p>\n
A survey disclosed last month Indonesia was one of the world's
\ngreatest software pirates with a 98 percent strike rate, stealing
\nUS$150 million in 1995 from software producers worldwide.<\/p>\n
Indonesia was second to Vietnam; China and Oman were third
\nwith a 96 percent piracy rate.<\/p>\n
Losses from worldwide software piracy reached $13.1 billion in
\n1995, up 9 percent on 1994's $12.2 billion.<\/p>\n
Losses from piracy in the Asia-Pacific region were estimated
\nat $3.9 billion, with Japan reporting losses of more than $1.6
\nbillion. (pwn)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/copyright-bill-needed-for-globalization-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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