FITUG e.V. Förderverein Informationstechnik und Gesellschaft

Japanisches Urheberrecht wird verschaerft

------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
From:          "Gemmill, Ken (Reedfax)" <kgemmill@rtis-g.com>
To:            epo@mlist.austria.eu.net
Subject:       FW: [ipjp 62] IP News from Japan - May 13, 1999
Date:          Wed, 12 May 1999 12:32:31 -0400
Reply-to:      "Gemmill, Ken (Reedfax)" <kgemmill@rtis-g.com>

Hello All,
 Thought I'd forward this in case any of you would be interested.

Regards,

Ken Gemmill
Reedfax

-----Original Message-----
From:	Shoichi OKUYAMA [SMTP:so@tokyo.email.ne.jp]
<mailto:[SMTP:so@tokyo.email.ne.jp]> 
Sent:	Wednesday, May 12, 1999 12:27 PM
To:	ipjp@ml.asahi-net.or.jp <mailto:ipjp@ml.asahi-net.or.jp> 
Subject:	[ipjp 62] IP News from Japan - May 13, 1999

IP News from Japan - May 13, 1999

1.	The Patent Law Amendment Passes the Diet

 The legislation for amending the Patent and Trademark Laws which was
submitted to the Diet in February passed the Diet on May 7, 1999.  The
amendment will be publicly announced on May 14, 1999.  It is only
about one year since we saw the last amendment to the Patent and
Design Laws last year in April.

2.	The Copyright Law Amendment to be Submitted to the Diet Soon

 Partly in preparation for accession to the WIPO Copyright Treaty of
December 1996, the Ministry of Culture is now getting ready to submit
a bill for another copyright law amendment before the Diet.  It plans
to obtain the final approval of the Cabinet for the submission on May
18, 1999.  The amendment contains the following five major items:
 1)	Unauthorized removal of copyright protection means or
programs, using such software as "copy guard canceler," will become a
criminal offence;
 2)	Removal or modification of electronic control information,
such as electronic watermarks, used for copyright protection will be
restricted;
 3)	Distribution rights, subject to the first sale doctrine,
will be additionally given to music, publications, computer software,
etc.;
 4)	Rights to show art works and photographs will be provided
much the same way as screening rights for movies; and
 5)	Reproduction of music from recording media and use of it as
background music at hotels and restaurants are currently exempted from
copyright infringement.  Such exemption will be abandoned in favor of
stronger copyright protection.  Fees will be collected from hotels and
restaurants which use copyrighted music sources for their business,
just Karaoke joints and discos have to.


c Shoichi Okuyama, 1999


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