There will be no Irish record industry in seven years if producers of pirate tapes and CDs have their way, the chairman of the Irish Recorded Music Association, Mr Paul Keogh, says.
Mr Keogh, who is managing director of Polygram Ireland, was speaking at the launch of a video aimed at young gardai and i trainees in the hope of raising awareness of a problem Mr Keogh says costs the Irish economy at least £3 million a year.
The video includes messages of support from Ronan Keating, Kerri-Ann and Mary Black and provides details of new legislation implemented in July which includes fines of up to £100,000 and imprisonment of up to five years. It takes gardai through the law and explains how to spot a pirate CD or cassette. Because Ireland had not implemented a number of Europe-wide copyright provisions, Mr Keogh said, the State would increasingly be seen as a back door into Europe. It was not Madonna or U2 who suffered, but smaller Irish artists, with Dustin the Turkey the most pirated product in the State. Mr Keogh said major plants in Bulgaria and China could flood the small Irish market, undermining the earnings and careers of Irish artists. Bulgaria is the No 1 offender in Europe, where piracy is linked to organised crime, but counterfeit material is also produced in Ireland.
In the past eight months, more than 52,000 pirate tapes and 3,000 CDs have been recovered with a retail value of about £500,000. "It is up to ourselves and everybody associated with the Irish music industry to ensure that the legal authorities are given all the assistance they require to stifle this forgotten crime," Mr Keogh said.
The Minister of State at the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Mr Tom Kitt, said the war against copyright piracy depended largely on the self-help measures of rights owners. ail summer recess increased the fines and penalties for piracy.
A substantial Copyright Bill, possibly the largest and most complex piece of legislation in the history of the State, was now in draft form. Mr Kitt said he would welcome ideas from interested parties.
The Bill, which deals with all aspects of intellectual property and rights ownership, seeks to protect rights owners from all forms of piracy, encompassing the Internet and the World Wide Web.
Mr Kitt said Ireland was proud of its software industry and the achievements of Irish artists, and piracy was to be taken seriously.
Det Supt Patrick Brehony, head of the Garda counterfeiting section, said people must get away from the perception that counterfeiting was a harmless crime.