The Cabinet yesterday approved an amendment to the Copyrights Intermediary Organizations Act (著作權仲介團體條例) to modify the way intermediaries charge users of copyrighted products.
Under the current system, an intermediary group can either provide specific content it manages to users or authorize all the content it manages to users for unlimited use during a certain period of time.
Should the amendment pass the legislature, users would be able to purchase a single piece of content for a single use.
The amendment also attempts to address the issue whereby users are charged different fees for using the same product by different intermediary groups.
To solve the problem, the amendment stipulates that intermediary groups would be required to synchronize how much they charge for the same content to be used for the same purpose by setting up a overseeing authority to take charge of negotiations with users.
The amendment stipulates that the Ministry of Economic Affairs’ (MOEA) Intellectual Property Office should intervene in negotiations between the two parties should they fail to agree on rates.
If the legislature approves the amendment, people who tune into TV or radio in public places such as hotels, beauty shops, hospitals, KTVs and on tourist coaches with speakers or other equipment installed that play copyrighted songs or TV programs will be charged a fee.
The MOEA would need to work out the details of how people will be charged for listening to copyrighted music or watching copyrighted TV programs and how to calculate the rates, the amendment says.
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