TIPO representatives attended the 44th meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Intel

On February 18-19, 2017, TIPO officials attended the 44th meeting of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) Intellectual Property Rights Experts Group (IPEG 44) in Nha Trang City, Vietnam. During the meeting, TIPO officials briefed on the joint royalty rate system in Taiwan by looking at joint royalty fees for karaoke machines launched in 2015, and shared experiences with other member economies.

Karaoke machines are hugely popular in Taiwan and a wide range of songs are programed in these devices. However, in the past, users had to obtain licensing from different copyright collective management organizations (CCMOs) to be able to use the contents legally, which was simply inconvenient, and a lot of times, disputes would arise, demanding the mediation of competent authorities. To solve those problems, TIPO has designated songs played by karaoke machines into the category where a joint royalty rate would apply, and requested three CCMOs to negotiate relevant rates and decide which one would serve as the one-stop-shop collector. As no agreement was reached, the Music Copyright Society of Chinese Taipei (MÜST) requested TIPO to make the decision.

With these measures in place, content-users will be able to obtain licensing in a simpler and more affordable manner, an incentive for the general public to gain licensing and use contents through legal means. In the meantime, CCMOs will be able to cut costs and boost margins when conducting their licensing business, which would be conducive to stabilizing the licensing market and promoting the wider use of created contents.

source:https://www.tipo.gov.tw/ct.asp?xItem=621245&ctNode=6687&mp=2

             Intellectual Property Office Ministry of Economic Affairs,R.O.C