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Diana T Fritz  03/15/2007 03:23:39 PM  From  DB/Inbox:  Search Results

Cable 
Text:                                                                      
                                                                           
      
UNCLASSIFIED

SIPDIS
TELEGRAM                                        February 17, 2004


To:       No Action Addressee                                    

Action:   Unknown                                                

From:     AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI (ABU DHABI 403 - ROUTINE)          

TAGS:     ECON, ETRD, KIPR                                       

Captions: None                                                   

Subject:  UAEG AMENDING COPYRIGHT LAW TO BETTER PROTECT U.S.     
          RECORD COMPANIES                                       

Ref:      None                                                   
_________________________________________________________________
UNCLAS        ABU DHABI 00403

SIPDIS
Laser1:
    INFO:   FCS 
CXABU:
    ACTION: ECON 
    INFO:   P/M AMB DCM POL 

DISSEMINATION: ECON
CHARGE: PROG

APPROVED: AMB: MWAHBA
DRAFTED: ECON: CCRUMPLER
CLEARED: ECON: OJOHN

VZCZCADI536
RR RUEHC RUCNWTO RUEHRH RUEHDI
DE RUEHAD #0403 0481236
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 171236Z FEB 04
FM AMEMBASSY ABU DHABI
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 3222
INFO RUCNWTO/WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION COLLECTIVE
RUEHRH/AMEMBASSY RIYADH 1335
RUEHDI/AMCONSUL DUBAI 3715

UNCLAS ABU DHABI 000403 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
DEPT FOR NEA, NEA/ARP, EB/IPC FOR WILSON 
PASS GENEVA TO USTR 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: ECON KIPR ETRD WTO USTR TC
SUBJECT: UAEG AMENDING COPYRIGHT LAW TO BETTER PROTECT U.S. 
RECORD COMPANIES 
 
¶1.  (U) UAE MINISTRY OF INFORMATION, DIRECTOR OF COPYRIGHTS 
ALI AL-BALOUSHI CONFIRMED TO ECONCHIEF ON FEBRUARY 11 THAT 
THE UAEG INTENDS TO ISSUE REGULATIONS UNDER THE 2002 
COPYRIGHT LAW TO ALLOW FOR SPECIALIZED COLLECTING SOCIETIES. 
THESE SOCIETIES ARE A PRACTICAL WAY FOR SOUND RECORDING 
COMPANIES TO COLLECT ROYALTIES ON THE BROADCAST AND 
PERFORMANCE OF COPYRIGHTED MATERIAL.  ALTHOUGH THE 2002 
COPYRIGHT LAW PERMITS COPYRIGHT HOLDERS TO ENGAGE IN 
COLLECTIVE ADMINISTRATION OF THEIR RIGHTS, IT DOES NOT LAY 
OUT SPECIFIC PROCEDURES FOR THE LICENSING OF SUCH SOCIETIES. 
 
¶2.  (U) Al-Baloushi verified that the Copyright Department 
recently created the procedures for a collecting society to 
obtain a license, and forwarded its language to the Ministry 
of Justice for approval.  He expects the UAEG to release the 
regulations within a month, thereby immediately permitting 
the establishment of collecting societies. 
 
¶3.  (SBU) Al-Baloushi noted that his office, in cooperation 
with local police, had made significant strides in 
protecting copyrighted material in the UAE.  He noted, 
however, that the Buraimi Oasis (a jointly-patrolled area on 
the UAE-Oman border) remained the biggest problem for 
enforcement.  Al-Baloushi lamented that he had met several 
times with his Omani counterparts, but that the Omani 
authorities were indifferent to the cross-border trade in 
Buraimi of goods violating IPR regulations.  "They did a 
good job of enforcement when they were trying to get into 
the WTO, but now."  Al-Baloushi posited that the Omanis 
would better patrol their side of the border only if the USG 
urged them to do so. 
 
¶4.  (SBU) Comment: According to the Recording Industry 
Association of America (RIAA), the UAEG had said that 
collecting society regulations would be issued in October 
¶2003.  The process of moving regulations through the UAE 
bureaucracy is cumbersome, however, and probably the cause 
of the delay.  Because these regulations do not need to be 
approved by all seven emirates, we are hopeful that the MoJ 
will release them relatively quickly.  End comment. 
 
WAHBA