Following the May 13 passage of revisions for the Patent Act, May 25, 2021, a bill for smoothing out copyright issues for digital distributions passed the Upper House (House of Councillors) unanimously.
The Copyright Act is being updated to:
1) Smooth the procedures for online providers of broadcast programs to acquire permissions from the broadcasting companies [1]
2) Enable library archivists to e-mail or fax data of portions of copyrighted works to those who request them, provided that libraries also make some royalty payments to the copyrighted producers of the works (possibly the users of the data service may be required to pay the royalties). It may take up to two years from issue of this revision for the procedures to start.
These two changes are particularly seen to improve digital and remote use of copyrighted works in this post-/with-corona age.[2] Again, it is welcome though rather reactive.
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Contact: Taro Yaguchi
Sources
[1] NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation). “改正著作権法が成立 放送番組のネット配信時の手続き簡略に [Copyright Act revisions passed; simpler procedures to ].”
https://www3.nhk.or.jp/news/html/20210526/k10013051991000.html May 26, 2021. Accessed June 3, 2021.
[2] Kyodo News. “図書館蔵書、メールで送信可能に – 改正著作権法が成立 [].” https://www.nara-np.co.jp/global/2021052601001362.html On Nara Shimbun, May 26, 2021. Accessed June 3, 2021.
Header image by SCY from Pixabay.
