Israel needs to take a series of measures, within two weeks, to heighten copyright preservation enforcement, unless it is prepared to be placed on a stricter list of copyright infringing nations. "Globes" heard this today from Jay Bermann, president of the Record Industry World Federation.
Bermann recommended that the US Department of Commerce take a strict approach with Israel since Israel, he says, has done nothing in the past two years to uphold copyrights. "Israeli piracy has risen from 10% of total output two years ago to 60% in the past year. If this continues, there will be no legal activity in Israel".
Bermann said he came to Israel to prod the Israeli government into taking action and not to recommend sanctions. "There are three plants manufacturing pirate disks in Israel. Also, Israelis engage in the distribution of forged disks, manufactured by a certain plant in the Territories", Bermann said. These figures were submitted to Minister of Industry and Trade Nathan Sharansky at their meeting yesterday. "There is no longer any mystery about the producers and customers. Things must happen in the next two weeks. The Ministry of Industry and Trade knows what to do. Israel must take legal action, including confiscating the forged product, and penalising piratical concerns".
Nathan Sharansky today asked the United States
not to put Israel on the stricter list of copyright infringing nations. He said that, in the past year, Israel had taken various steps, making a stricter approach unwarranted. Sharansky made these comments at a meeting with US Under-secretary of State Stuart Eisenstat.
Sharansky’s senior advisor Ali Kashdan, told "Globes" that in the past year, Israel had opened 225 criminal files against parties copyright infringers. Israel had also finished drafting a copyright preservation enforcement bill. This bill provides for deterrent penalties, including up to three years imprisonment and a fine of up to NIS 250,000. "Our feeling is that the Americans are doing us an injustice in the way they relate to activity in Israel. We have taken enforcement measures, which they have meanwhile ignored", he said. Kashdan said Israel is fulfilling its commitment to complete relevant legislation by January 2000.
Published by Israel's Business Arena March 7, 1999