Intellectual property

THE report in the The National on use of the Bougainville traditional hat called upe shows how slack our Government is when it comes to implementing copyright laws.
The laws are supposed to protect our national heritage and the creations of our national artists, not allow foreigners to commercialise and profit from our intellectual properties.
You see it in our national flag, tapa, bird of paradise emblems, traditional songs and sounds and now the upe.
The recent riot on Buka would not have happened had the Government done what it was mandated to do – ensure the full implementation of copyright laws, including making foreigners understand the consequences of intellectual property rights violations.
This is a clear violation of people’s heritage and must be strongly condemned.
In light of this incident, I also would like to call upon all our artists and custodians of our national heritage to stand together and pressure the Government to immediately impose penalties on violators of copyright laws.
We cannot continue to remain silent and allow the ongoing rape and pilferage on our shores.
I challenge the government to something

EB
Lae