The Copyright Review Committee has published its ‘Modernising Copyright’ report, which sets out recommendations to overhaul Irish copyright law.

The Committee, set up in 2011 by the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation, has recommended that a self-funding Copyright Council of Ireland be established to, amongst other things, educate and advise on copyright, advocate for developments in copyright law and provide a voluntary alternative dispute resolution service. Another key recommendation of the Committee is that the District Court small claims procedure (€2,000 limit) be extended to include IP claims of up to €15,000. The Report also recommends the establishment of a dedicated specialist IP court at Circuit Court level which could serve disputes with a value of up to €75,000.

Another interesting proposal of the Committee is that it should be not be an infringement of copyright to provide a “very small snippet” of linked content to provide context when linking to another internet page. It is proposed that a “very small snippet” be no more than 160 characters or 40 words.

A draft bill to amend current copyright legislation, incorporating the report’s proposals, was included in the Report and it will now be up to the Government to consider the recommendations made and to implement appropriate legislation to reform copyright law in Ireland.

Contributed by Brian McElligott.