…say Govt should keep promises, provide jobs
The ripple effect that the copyright legislation could have when passed in Guyana has already drawn the attention of the average man in the street who sells CDs and DVDs to sustain their livelihood.
Several CD and DVD vendors, who spoke with Guyana Times on Saturday sought to highlight the negative effects the legislation will have, noting that such a move by the Government will cause a hike in the instances of robberies and other crimes.
A number of push cart vendors, who have been plying their trade in the streets of Georgetown for several years, told this publication that the Government should seek to employ more persons rather than take away their “bread and butter.”
One vendor, Shakiel Wiltshire said, “This will really affect we cause remember they got to study that people got children and people got family to take care of and these times that going it so hard so if they stop this hay, from we pushing CDs and DVDs from selling, is like pushing we out of a wuk. I don’t see what pushing a cart and selling a CD could cause because if they stop we from pushin cart, what we gun get fuh wuk? We nah gun get anything fuh wuk.”
Wiltshire added that he has been in the business for a few months now and explained that should Government pass the copyright legislation, measures should be put in place to protect CD and DVD vendors. “Even self he wan ban this hay, is either he find something for we do cause it got a lot of place that when you send in application, you got to wait years before you could get a call.”
A push cart vendor who requested his name be withheld noted, “I have been doing this business for about 12 years and wah he (President David Granger) wan bring out deh is nonsense because this is we hustle and if he take us off de road, what he wan we do? We can’t do nothing, what he wan we do rob and thief and them thing and then he gun put we in jail? That ain’t make sense. It don’t make sense because he promising people one set a thing and it ain’t make sense. If he ain’t want CD or DVD pun de road, well leh he provide jobs or whatever but this hay is we living.”
Don Sham, who operates at a CD shop on Commerce Street, Georgetown, expressed fear of being without a job, as he is the sole breadwinner for his home.
Oswald McBeen, another such businessman as Sham, told Guyana Times he has seven children to take care of and he is the sole breadwinner for his home. McBeen, who has been doing that business for 20 years, asserted, “If they bring out this (my push cart), this gun got to park completely because how else I gun hustle?”
When asked to give a suggestion as to what he would like to see done with the draft legislation, the father noted, “At the end of the day, wah them wan do them ah do. I can’t stop them from doing anything. Two or three people can’t make a difference. But I think they need to create more jobs. Instead of taking away jobs, you create and then take away. If you create so that people get something to do, it gun stop a lot of robbery cause what am I supposed to do? Push my hand in somebody pocket?”
The copyright legislation or Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) legislation allows creators to safeguard their work through patents, trademarks and copyrights, resulting in prevention of plagiarism.
Since the new Administration took over, plans were revealed to have the work of local artistes protected through the implementation of such laws.
Over the years, local musicians have lamented that being a performer in Guyana is somewhat of a risky business, since persons have the constant fear of having their work copyrighted.
The current legislation, the 1956 Copyright Act, which Guyana inherited from Great Britain following Independence in 1966, has never been revised since, even though its former colonial master had long repealed the legislation that deemed copyright infringement a civil wrong.
Though the current Act does provide protection of literary, musical, dramatic and artistic works, the fines are extremely low, ranging mostly from £5 to £50 (GY$1750-GY$17,500). Given the time and cost to pursue an infringement in court, some artistes view the exercise as a loss rather than a gain.
Following the announcement by Government of its intention to table copyright legislation, Opposition Leader Bharrat Jagdeo has expressed worry over the impact this could have on the local economy as many small businesses could possibly close as a result of the incoming change.
It was in a parliamentary address about two weeks ago that President David Granger stated that legislation would be tabled to bring copyright laws on the books.
However, some opposed to the change say it could put undue burdens on local producers of DVDs and CDs and that it would drastically impact on the free foreign movies and programmes currently broadcast on television.
Just Thursday, Jagdeo weighed in on the issue saying, “I hope that people will understand… it will be a revolution in Guyana. I’m not going to say much more, because when Government passes that next year, every video store in this country will have to close that sells these bootlegs. And every store that sells music now… the way they currently do, it will have to shut those down too, as well as the guys who are doing the push cart, they can be charged too”.
While acknowledging that some may be in disagreement with the position, he clarified that Government should place more emphasis on protecting local intellectual property rights rather than focusing on safeguarding international content. (Davina Ramdass)
