Jamaicans Adhering to Sunset Laws

Jamaicans are adhering to the intellectual property rights and broadcasting rules outlined in the Sunset Legislation, and to date, there has been no need for court proceedings against any member of the public for breaches.
“Our preference is that we will never have to see the inside of a courthouse for any issue,” said Derek Jones, Senior Counsel for the ICC CWC 2007 Inc.The legislation, which was passed by all nine ICC Cricket World Cup (CWC) 2007 host venue countries last year, makes provisions for the safe, orderly conduct of the games, the protection of intellectual property and broadcasting rights, as well as remedies for the infringement of such rights.
According to Mr. Jones, there is constant monitoring of newspapers, the radio, television and the Internet to identify breaches. “If we find people infringing, we send them a letter. The vast majority of persons write back to say ‘I am sorry, I did not understand and I will stop’,” he told JIS News.
He noted however that there was some initial hostility to the implementation of the legislation because people were used to doing things a particular way, “but once persons understand the reasoning for it, I have found 99 per cent of the people are understanding, cooperative and supportive”.
Although the experience of such legislation was new, Mr. Jones stressed that the concept was not entirely foreign to the West Indian public as companies sponsored events all the time, and certain rights went along with this process. “We see it around us everyday but it is still necessary for people to understand what the reason is for the legislation,” he noted.
Addressing the concern about business signs in the vicinity of venues in commercial and residential communities such as Kensington Oval in Barbados and Sabina Park in Jamaica, Mr. Jones said there would be no reason for the ICC CWC 2007 to interfere in this matter.
“The reason they have up the signs is because they are in business and it has nothing to do with the ICC CWC 2007. I would say however, that if somebody, who had a traditional business in the area decides all of a sudden a week before the Cricket World Cup to erect a big 100-foot billboard advertising that ‘Derek Jones sandwiches for the CWC is a good thing to eat’, we would get a little bit suspicious about that,” he pointed out.
Under the law, a person convicted of publishing or displaying any advertisement that relates to or is connected with the CWC 2007, which is false or misleading, can be fined up to $150,000 in the case of a first conviction and up to $200,000 for subsequent offences.