The operation of new copyright law would be monitored to ensure Irish people were not deprived of the right to make free use, in the original form, of music from their folk tradition, Mr Tom Kitt, the Minister for Labour, Trade and Consumer Affairs, said. He was reacting to concerns expressed by Mr Labhras O Murchu, director-general of Comhaltas Ceoltoiri Eireann, the association of Irish musicians.
Speaking in the debate on the Copyright (Amendment) Bill, Mr O Murchu said there were inherent dangers in the legislative moves being taken.
Many composers of bygone years had bequeathed their music to the nation. What would happen if a distant relative claimed possession of such works and decided to copyright them, with the attendant penalties for breaches of the law, he wondered.
A corpus of work, some of it centuries old, could become embroiled in modern-day difficulties.
Referring to the upcoming comprehensive Bill on copyright Mr O Murchu said he hoped it would deal with his worries in this regard. Traditional Irish music had been shown by a number of surveys to be popular worldwide. Cultural predators must not be allowed to exploit it for financial gain.
Mr Kitt said only original works with authors would be eligible for copyright protection. It followed that the use of traditional music in the true sense could not be restricted by copyright. Copyright might attach to traditional areas in certain limited circumstances, principally original arrangements of traditional music and in respect of sound recording of it.