- IAN ALLEN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER
Police officers from the intellectual property unit in the Organised Crime Investigation Division of the Jamaica Constabulary Force discard confiscated compact discs and VHS videos at the Riverton City Landfill on June 23, 2004. The pirated items were crushed and buried.
Germaine Smith, Staff Reporter
WHILE THE legal clamps seem to be tightening slightly on the slippery monster of piracy, at least a few artistes seem to be changing their views on the 'copycat' practice. Once, getting some artistes to even think that music piracy was wrong was difficult. The overwhelming majority seemed to accept that piracy was a hustler's 'bread' and they could not fight against hustlers in a struggling economy.
Today, things are different. A few have come out firmly against piracy, while others who say it is wrong insist that hustlers still have to survive.
$90,000 FINE
More and more people are facing the courts for piracy. As published in THE STAR on May 27, Richard Gayle, 29, from Spanish Town, St. Catherine, was fined $90,000 in the Spanish Town Resident Magistrate's Court after pleading guilty to selling illegal burnt CDs and DVDs. Police said that he peddled the bootleg music and movies in a plaza in Spanish Town.
In April, Kenneth Chung, 37, of Green Acres, St. Catherine, was fined $150,000 or six months in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court for breaching the Copyright and Customs Act. He was held with approximately 50 illegally manufactured DVD movies and unauthorised copies of compact discs of music by both local and international artistes. According to the police, during a sting along Beckford Street in downtown Kingston in March, Chung was seen using a computer to copy the original DVD movies.
It is clear that though the road ahead is long, something is being done. And the artistes' views also seem to be changing from completely ignoring piracy to openly admitting that it is wrong, even though they point out perceived benefits.
"The funny thing is that we know it nuh really right, but the music going out there," stated Rastafarian singer Chezideck.
Chezideck rose to prominence last year with Leave The Trees.
GOOD FOR POPULARITY
"It is bad for the business, but for the message to go out there it is good 'cause it goes out there far and wide and people hear what yu have to say," he continued. "It good for the popularity of the artiste, but it bad for the business, but the sound is going out there and the little ones are knowing your songs and spreading it."
Junior Kelly recently told The Sunday Gleaner that he cannot support piracy, as it robs him of the benefits from the hard work he puts into making music.
Fantan Mojah stated earlier this year piracy is wrong, but it helped him. "Yu see piracy inna the music business now, it hurt some people but it wouldn't hurt me," he said. "It hurt the producer, but it wouldn't hurt me because piracy buss nuff artiste so mi couldn't tell yu seh mi a lick out pon dem. Dem and the producer haffi fight it out and settle it," he explained.
"It have two side to it, so you couldn't put a fire pon it too much."
Carol Simpson, senior programme manager at the Jamaica Intellectual Property Office (JIPO), said slowly but surely things are changing.
"It is changing for the good. Certainly if we look at the number of cases before the courts dealing with piracy it would indicate that rights holders are becoming more proactive in their approach to their interests. This is one of the best indicators to us ... We think a lot more needs to be done, particularly in education," she said.
Simpson said that very soon more artistes may be forced to jump-start their clampdown on piracy, as they may be performing on fewer stage shows. In Jamaica, artistes rely almost completely on show fees for income, because usual record sales are poor. Simpson noted that with possible travel restrictions on overseas gigs, plus the recent move by sponsors to ban some acts from shows they promote, some entertainers may take some more interest in returns from record sales.
"They see it (piracy) as a form of promotion, but a few of them have actually seen sales go down," Simpson pointed out.
"In the present environment, when so many face cancelled shows overseas, travel restrictions and bans on local shows and with corporate sponsors having much power on who performs on shows, they will have to rely more on sales. When they rely more on sales they will see that it has cut down," Simpson said.
