The placement of Barbados on a United States watchlist of intellectual property rights violators is being seen as a double-edged sword.
Barbados was put on the list this month, with the Office of the United States Trade Representative citing the “refusal” of local television and radio broadcasters to pay American entertainers for public performances of their music.
The CEO of the management of the Copyright Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers Inc. (COSCAP), Erica Smith, argued that even when those guilty of not paying royalties comply “we will be sending out more money because there is no local content on cable TV” and not enough local music was being aired.
“Yes, we have to make sure we follow the law, but we also have to do what we need to do to make sure we keep more money here. . .,” Smith told the WEEKEND NATION. “Therefore, it becomes even more urgent to properly address the issue of local content regulations.” (MM)
