At the end of February, Junior Minister of Research and Innovation, Sean Sherlock, proceeded with a Statutory Instrument which purported to bring Irish law in line with the European Union (Copyright and Related Rights) Regulations 2012. The so-called “Irish SOPA”. This action occurred despite an online petition which garnered over 80,000 signatures in protest of the dangerously vague copyright legislation.
Sean Sherlock is now welcoming feedback from the general public on a consultation paper aimed a reviewing current copyright law in Ireland in an effort to “identify any areas of the legislation that might be deemed to create barriers to innovation”.
Those concerned by the recent statutory instrument (all 80,000 of them) are encouraged to contact the committee by post, or to use an online questionnaire, to voice their views on the 172 page document (rather than in an inconveniently public forum like Twitter). In either case, submissions should be received by close of business on Friday 13 April 2012.
This Copyright Review Committee will also hold a public meeting from 10:00am until 12:00 noon, on Saturday 24 March 2012, in the Robert Emmet Lecture Theatre, Room 2037 Arts Block, Trinity College Dublin, for which registration is necessary.
For more information on copyright law in Ireland, an extremely important subject for a country which aims to dig itself out of recession on the strength of its technological innovators, check out TJ McIntyre’s blog on IT Law in Ireland and follow the progress of the Copyright Review Committee using the Twitter hashtag #CRC12.