After some business subjects complained for an irregular collecting of
payments by agencies of copyright collection administrations, Top
Channel contacted the Director of the Albanian Copyright Office, Muje
Bucpapaj.
Bucpapaj declared that the copyright protection system has failed because of some agencies. He asked the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports to suspect the licenses of AKDIE and Albautor agencies, which have not proved where their collected money has gone. But he has received no answer from this Ministry yet.
A third agency has two months to verify the distribution of their collected money, but the list of names that are administered by them and the respective agreements have not been proved.
FMAA agency has everything in order, according to the Copyright Office. The current copyright law leaves room to abuses, such as with monitoring. Different from other countries, the copyright monitoring is not carried out through a specific technology in Albania, but only with eye witness evidence of agents who act like clients.
Another gap that leaves room to abuses is the fee for the usage of artistic works by public institutions. So far they have been established by agencies. Bucpapaj says that the copyright draft-law foresees regulations.
“Every copyright subject has the right to ask the inspector’s license and agreements that this agency has made with every individual. If not, it is clear that there are abuses that should be addressed to the Copyright Office”, Bucpapaj declared.
But complains have arrived at Top Channel even for the Copyright Office, saying that the subjects appear as if they haven’t paid the agencies and have been fined for that, which is a paradox.
“We share the same concern with the media, with you and the people who are using copyright products”, Bucpapaj declared.
Law experts: Law has problems. Agencies and Copyright Office to be suspended
Experts say that the problem with copyright starts with the law, and then continues with the indifference of responsible structures and abuses of agencies.
“Different from other cases, the laws are clear. This law is unclear, as regards the implementation, monitoring and fees, and leaves room to abuses. I think that because we are about to pass a new copyright law, we should propose to suspend all payments of fines”, Vojo Bregu declared.
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