Music pirates can now purchase a licence that will allow them to sell copyrighted music.
By Michael MondezieThis was the word from president of Trinidad and Tobago Copyright Organisation, Dr Vijay Ramlal, yesterday.
During a phone interview, Ramlal said the monthly licences would extend only to artistes under his organisation and would take a similar form to the blanket licence offered to radio stations.
?We would charge the pirates according to their projected monthly income,? he said.
?They would pay five per cent of that figure to TTCO and we would then distribute the funds among our artistes.?
Ramlal said his organisation had been losing the battle against piracy for the past two years and had therefore devised a plan where both parties could benefit.
?What we are trying to do is to no longer call them pirates, but make them entrepreneurs,? he said.
TTCO?s attorney Annabelle Davis said the copyright law of T&T empowered any registered copyright collection organisation to collect funds on behalf of their members.
She said TTCO, which represented mostly chutney artistes, was exercising that right in this ground-breaking method of royalty collection.
?Our members are in total agreement with the licensing of pirates to sell their music,? she said.
?We can licence anyone to sell the repertoire of our artistes.?
Calls to Legal Affairs Minister Danny Montano?s cellphone went unanswered last night.
