The rights of the record companies and performers are protected through Copyright Law. Record companies and performers are paid by way of royalties, so the amount that they are paid depends on the success or otherwise of their records. In order to achieve success with a record it is important that it reach a worldwide and not just a domestic market. As record companies and performers are dependant upon royalties to survive, it is important that Copyright law is harmonised and enforced on a worldwide basis.
It is for this reason that IRMA is a member of IFPI, International Federation of the Phonographic Industry, which represents the recording Industry worldwide.
The Copyright and Related Rights Act 2000 governs copyright in Ireland. It was enacted, not only to update Irish law but also to bring into force in Ireland numerous EU Directives. These Directives are in force in all countries of the EU thus making it easier to enforce copyrights throughout the EU.
Ireland is also a member of two International Conventions, which serve to harmonise International law and ensure that copyright can be enforced throughout most of the developed world. These are the International Convention for the Protection of Performers, Producers of Phonograms and Broadcasting Organisations made in Rome in 1961 and The World Intellectual Property Organisation Performances and Phonograms Treaty adopted in Geneva in 1996.
IFPI lobbies at international and EU level to ensure that international conventions and EU Directives take into account the interests of the Recording Industry thus ensuring that royalties can be collected for both record companies and performers, allowing the business of making music to grow and develop.
