Tuesday, March 29, 2005
By YIP YOKE TENG
Malaysia was the role model for many countries in the region in protecting performers’ rights at the first Asian Regional Conference on Performers’ Rights held on Wednesday and Thursday in Kuala Lumpur.
“In terms of laws protecting performers’ rights, Malaysia is very much ahead,” said Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia director of copyright Manisekaran Amasi at a press conference after the event.
“There are countries whose law does not protect such rights while some do not exercise such rights even though they have them,” he said.
He pointed out that in Malaysia, the Copyright Act 1987 was amended in 2000 to confer a new right known as “performers’ right”.
Under the new Section 16B of the act, performers should be paid royalties if their sound recordings were broadcast, performed or communicated to the public.
Collecting bodies selected are Public Performance Malaysia Sdn Bhd (PPM), Music Authors Copyrights Protection Bhd (MACP) and Performers and Artistes Rights (M) Sdn Bhd (PRISM).
On Jan 25, Malaysian music performers received royalties for the first time when RM100,000 was distributed to 250 performers.
There were 30 delegates from India, Pakistan, China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, The Philippines, Singapore, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, Denmark, France and Sweden.
“It was a good learning process; delegates exchanged views and experiences, which helped us realise our strengths and weaknesses,” said PPM chief executive officer Tan Ngiap Foo.
The conference was organised by the International Societies’ Council of Administration of Performers’ Rights in collaboration with PRISM.
The conference was held to strengthen performers’ rights in their respective countries in view of the increasing importance of the music production and music export industries.
“In Sweden, music export alone brings in RM1.5bil,” chairman of the organiser, Hans Linstrom said.
PRISM chairman Aziz Bakar pointed out that Malaysia
still lagged far behind in collection of royalties for performers, compared with Western countries.
There was also a recorded message from international superstar Jackie Chan urging participants to stand united and fight for what performers deserved.
