Number 24 of 1987

COPYRIGHT (AMENDMENT) ACT, 1987

ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS

Number 24 of 1987

COPYRIGHT (AMENDMENT) ACT, 1987

Amendment of section 14 of Copyright Act, 1963.

1.—Section 14 of the Copyright Act, 1963, is hereby amended by the insertion after subsection (7) of the following subsection:

“(7A) The act of reproducing an object of any description which is in three dimensions shall not be taken to constitute an infringement of the copyright in an artistic work in two dimensions (other than such a work relating to a work of architecture) if—

(a) any of the features following, that is to say, shape, configuration and pattern, that appear in the work and are applied to the object are wholly or substantially functional, and

(b) the object is one of a number, in excess of fifty, of identical objects which have been manufactured and made commercially available by the owner of the copyright or by a person authorised by him in that behalf.”.

Amendment of section 27 of Copyright Act, 1963.

2.—Section 27 of the Copyright Act, 1963, is hereby amended by the substitution of the following subsections for subsections (1), (4), (5), (8), (9) and (10):

“(1) Any person who, at a time after the commencement of the Copyright (Amendment) Act, 1987, when copyright subsists in a work—

(a) makes for sale or hire, or

(b) sells or lets for hire, or by way of trade offers or exposes for sale or hire, or for the purposes of trade has in his possession, or

(c) by way of trade exhibits in public, or

(d) imports into the State, otherwise than for his private and domestic use,

any article which he knows to be an infringing copy of the work, shall be guilty of an offence under this subsection.

(4) The District Court, upon the application of the owner of the copyright in any work, may act as follows: If satisfied by evidence that there is reasonable ground for believing that infringing copies of the work are being hawked, carried about, sold or offered or exposed for sale, let for hire or offered or exposed for hire, may by order authorise a member of the Garda Síochána to seize the copies without warrant and to bring them before the court, and the court, on proof that the copies are infringing copies, may order them to be destroyed, or to be delivered up to the owner of the copyright or otherwise dealt with as the court may think fit.

(5) If a Justice of the District Court is satisfied by information on oath that there is reasonable ground for suspecting that an offence under subsection (1), (2), (3) or (8) of this section is being committed on any premises, such Justice may grant a search warrant authorising a named member of the Garda Síochána accompanied by such other members of the Garda Síochána as may be necessary, to enter on the premises, if need be by force, and to seize any copies of any cinematograph film or any work including plates in respect of which he has reasonable ground for suspecting that an offence under any of the said subsections is being committed.

(8) Any person who after the commencement of the Copyright (Amendment) Act, 1987, causes a literary, dramatic or musical work to be performed in public, or a cinematograph film to be shown, knowing that copyright subsists in the work or in the cinematograph film, and that the performance or showing constitutes an infringement of the copyright, shall be guilty of an offence under this subsection.

(9) A person guilty of an offence under subsection (1) or (2) of this section shall be liable, on summary conviction—

(a) in case it is his first conviction of an offence under this section, to a fine not exceeding £100 for each article to which the offence relates;

(b) in any other case, to such a fine, or, at the discretion of the court, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to both such fine and such imprisonment;

so, however, that a fine imposed by virtue of this subsection shall not exceed £1,000 in respect of articles comprised in the same transaction.

(10) A person guilty of an offence under subsection (3) or (8) of this section shall be liable, on summary conviction—

(a) in case it is his first conviction of an offence under this section, to a fine not exceeding £1,000;

(b) in any other case, to such a fine, or, at the discretion of the court, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding 6 months or to both such fine and such imprisonment.

(10A) Notwithstanding anything contained in subsection (10) of this section, where any person causes a work specified in subsection (8) of this section to be performed in public in contravention of the said subsection (8) by means of a television broadcast or a sound broadcast, he shall, in lieu of any penalty specified in the said subsection (10), be liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding £100.”.

Short title, construction and collective citation.

3.—(1) This Act may be cited as the Copyright (Amendment) Act, 1987.

(2) The Copyright Act, 1963, and this Act shall be construed together as one Act and may be cited together as the Copyright Acts, 1963 and 1987.

Uimhir 24 de 1987

AN tACHT CÓIPCHIRT (LEASÚ), 1987

RIAR NA nALT

Uimhir 24 de 1987

AN tACHT CÓIPCHIRT (LEASÚ), 1987

[An tiontú oifigiúil]

[11 Nollaig, 1987]

Leasú ar alt 14 den Acht Cóipchirt, 1963.

1.—Leasaítear leis seo alt 14 den Acht Cóipchirt, 1963, tríd an bhfo-alt seo a leanas a chur isteach i ndiaidh fho-alt (7):

“(7A) Ní mheasfar gur sárú ar an gcóipcheart i saothar ealaíne déthoiseach (seachas saothar den sórt sin a bhaineann le saothar ailtireachta) earra tríthoiseach de thuairisc ar bith a atáirgeadh más rud é—

(a) maidir le haon ghné de na gnéithe seo a leanas, is é sin le rá, cruth, cumraíocht agus patrún, a léirítear sa saothar agus a chuirtear i bhfeidhm ar an earra, gur gné fheidhmiúil í go hiomlán nó go substaintiúil, agus

(b) gur earra é as líon earraí is mó ná caoga d'earraí comhionanna atá monaraithe agus curtha ar fáil ar bhonn tráchtála ag úinéir an chóipchirt nó ag duine a bheidh údaraithe aige chuige sin.”.

Leasú ar alt 27 den Acht Cóipchirt, 1963.

2.—Leasaítear leis seo alt 27 den Acht Cóipchirt, 1963, trí na fo-ailt seo a leanas a chur in ionad fho-ailt (1), (4), (5), (8), (9) agus (10):

“(1) Aon duine—

(a) a dhéanfaidh chun a dhíolta nó a fhruilithe, nó

(b) a dhíolfaidh nó a ligfidh ar fruiliú, nó a thairgfidh, nó a thaispeánfaidh, chun a dhíolta nó a ligthe ar fruiliú i modh trádála, nó a mbeidh ina sheilbh aige chun críocha trádála, nó

(c) a thaispeánfaidh go poiblí i modh trádála, nó

(d) a allmhaireoidh isteach sa Stát, ar shlí seachas chun úsáide príobháidí agus tís aige féin,

aon tráth tar éis thosach feidhme an Achta Cóipchirt (Leasú), 1987, a mbeidh cóipcheart ar marthain i saothar, aon earra ar feasach dó gur cóip sháraitheach den saothar é, beidh sé ciontach i gcion faoin bhfo-alt seo.

(4) Féadfaidh an Chúirt Dúiche, ar iarratas ó úinéir an chóipchirt in aon saothar, gníomhú mar a leanas: Más deimhin léi ó fhianaise go bhfuil foras réasúnach ann chun a chreidiúint go bhfuil cóipeanna sáraitheacha den saothar á mangairiú, á n-iompar thart, á ndíol nó á dtairiscint nó á dtaispeáint chun a ndíolta, á ligean ar fruiliú nó á dtairiscint nó á dtaispeáint chun a bhfruilithe, féadfaidh sí le hordú a údarú do chomhalta den Gharda Síochána na cóipeanna a urghabháil gan bharántas agus a thabhairt os comhair na cúirte, agus féadfaidh an chúirt, ar chruthú a fháil gur cóipeanna sáraitheacha na cóipeanna, a ordú iad a dhíothú, nó iad a sheachadadh ar úinéir an chóipchirt nó a ordú go ndéileálfar leo ar shlí eile mar is oiriúnach leis an gcúirt.

(5) Más deimhin le Breitheamh den Chúirt Dúiche, ó fhianaise faoi mhionn, go bhfuil foras réasúnach drochamhrais ann go bhfuil cion faoi fho-alt (1), (2), (3) nó (8) den alt seo á dhéanamh in aon áitreabh, féadfaidh an Breitheamh sin barántas cuardaigh a dheonú á údarú do chomhalta ainmnithe den Gharda Síochána, agus cibé comhaltaí eile den Gharda Síochána is gá fairis, dul isteach san áitreabh, le forneart más gá sin, agus aon chóipeanna d'aon scannán cineamatagrafach nó aon saothar, lena n-áirítear plátaí, a urghabháil a bhfuil maidir leo foras réasúnach aige chun drochamhras a bheith air go bhfuil cion faoi aon cheann de na fo-ailt sin á dhéanamh.

(8) Aon duine a chuirfidh faoi deara, tar éis thosach feidhme an Achta Cóipchirt (Leasú), 1987, saothar litríochta, drámaíochta nó ceoil a thaibhiú go poiblí, nó scannán cineamatagrafach a thaispeáint, agus a fhios aige go bhfuil cóipcheart ar marthain sa saothar nó sa scannán cineamatagrafach agus gur sárú ar an gcóipcheart an taibhiú nó an taispeáint, beidh sé ciontach i gcion faoin bhfo-alt seo.

(9) Aon duine a bheidh ciontach i gcion faoi fho-alt (1) nó (2) den alt seo dlífear, ar é a chiontú go hachomair—

(a) más é an chéad chiontú aige é i gcion faoin alt seo, fíneáil nach mó ná £100 a chur air in aghaidh gach earra lena mbainfidh an cion;

(b) in aon chás eile, an fhíneáil sin nó, de rogha na cúirte, príosúnacht ar feadh téarma nach faide ná 6 mhí, nó an fhíneáil sin agus an phríosúnacht sin le chéile, a chur air;

i slí, áfach, nach rachaidh fíneáil a fhorchuirfear de bhua an fho-ailt seo thar £1,000 i leith earraí a bheidh ar áireamh san idirbheart céanna.

(10) Aon duine a bheidh ciontach i gcion faoi fho-alt (3) nó (8) den alt seo dlífear, ar é a chiontú go hachomair—

(a) más é an chéad chiontú aige é i gcion faoin alt seo, fíneáil nach mó ná £1,000 a chur air;

(b) in aon chás eile, an fhíneáil sin nó, de rogha na cúirte, príosúnacht ar feadh téarma nach faide ná 6 mhí, nó an fhíneáil sin agus an phríosúnacht sin le chéile, a chur air.

(10A) D'ainneoin aon ní i bhfo-alt (10) den alt seo, i gcás go gcuirfidh aon duine faoi deara saothar a shonraítear i bhfo-alt (8) den alt seo a thaibhiú go poiblí, de shárú ar an bhfo-alt sin (8), trí chraolachán teilifíse nó craolachán fuaime dlífear, ar é a chiontú go hachomair, in ionad aon phionóis a shonraítear san fho-alt sin (10), fíneáil nach mó ná £100 a chur air.”.

Gearrtheideal, forléiriú agus comhlua.

3.—(1) Féadfar an tAcht Cóipchirt (Leasú), 1987, a ghairm den Acht seo.

(2) Forléireofar an tAcht Cóipchirt, 1963, agus an tAcht seo le chéile mar aon Acht amháin agus féadfar na hAchtanna Cóipchirt, 1963 agus 1987, a ghairm díobh le chéile.