Technology should not be blamed for the worldwide problem of piracy when it is in fact the deed of dishonest people, says the minister for Youth and Sports Viliame Naupoto.
He said people who are making and buying pirated materials such as CD’s and DVD’s are the real culprits of the snowballing problem of piracy.
Minister Naupoto said the artists who have their hard work stolen by dishonest people through piracy contribute to the Fijian economy thus when the Government addresses this problem it is actually looking into an issue of national interest.
“It is a good time to strategise your fight against piracy and you must remind yourself to never view it as a losing battle,” he said.
“People who violate the Copyright Act are simply thieves.”
Fiji really needed to rein in this problem especially since there was a new tide of Bollywood filmmakers who preferred Fiji as the location for their shoot, the Minister said.
“We don’t want to give them the impression that we are a country that does not respect their hard work and the money they put in their production,” Minister Naupoto said.
Artists in Fiji have been having an ongoing battle with piracy as they are unable to recoup the returns on their intellectual properties.
For its part, the Fijian Government has put in place a Copyright (Amendment) Decree 2009 and Minister Naupoto pointed out that legislations must be enforcement friendly.
The workshop also saw the attendance and participation of the Fiji Police Force, the Solicitor-General’s Office and the Fiji Revenue and Customs Authority at the workshop.
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