Creative investment could follow international treaty

Monday 10 February 2014

More investment from the creative industry could follow Jersey signing up to a major international convention on protecting copyright laws, according to the head of Digital Jersey.

Paul Masterton, the chairman of the group set up to promote Jersey as a hub for new technology businesses, said that the Island’s membership of the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works could attract investment and business here from abroad.

The development follows work by the Economic Development department to update copyright and intellectual property legislation. The signatories to the Berne Convention recognise copyright of works by people in other member states in the same way that they treat work created in their own country, so the treaty provides Jersey with automatic, worldwide copyright protection of artistic works originally created here. 

Mr Masterton said: “This is very positive news and provides another good reason to choose Jersey, for investors considering where to invest and locate creative work.

“The Intellectual Property (Unregistered Rights) Jersey Law 2012 provides protection for unregistered rights in Jersey, and in effect it says our copyright law is up to date and of the highest standard.

“It can equally apply to a range of activities such as books, film, or digital mediums such video games and e-commerce.”

There are more than 165 countries signed up to the Berne Convention. The treaty was formally extended to Jersey on the application of the UK government, effective from 31 January.