10/82 COPYRIGHT - RECORD RENTALS - FOREIGNERS HIT RECORDING LAW

Mr. Coen Solleveld, president of the International Federation of Producers of Phonographs and Videograms (IFPI) recently hit proposed Japanese legislation which would attempt to control the record rental business. In the record rental business, customers rent a record or tape for a day or so and then return it. It is assumed, however, that most of the customers are making copies during that time. This is having a devastating effect on the record industry, particularly in Japan where there are reportedly 1500 such outlets compared to a couple of hundred in the US. Consequently legislation is being introduced in the Japanese Diet to control this problem. Mr. Solleveld particularly objected to provisions that exempted international repertoire from such protection. In other words, only Japanese artists and productions would be protected and people would still be free to copy the work of foreigners. He also objected to provisions making the law only applicable for one year.

THE JAPAN LAWLETTER, October, 1982. By Roderick Seeman