Two draft amendments to the Copyright Law 23 of 1982 covering Columbian copyright law are being reviewed in Congress and are awaiting approval.
While one of the drafts, promoted by the Congressional House of Representatives Congress, seeks to establish a remuneration right for authors of cinematographic works, the second draft is required by the FTA (Free Trade Agreement) between Colombia and United States.
This last draft, which aims to a broader amendment of Law 23, has as one of its objectives the inclusion of new technologies among its regulations. In this regard, it proposes, among other things, to update the digital divide of some Article 8 definitions and the powers of the holders of copyright and/or its assignees. Moreover, it establishes civil liability for people who avoid technological protection measures of copyright whether they configure an infringement of copyright or not.
Finally, one of the substantive changes proposed in the second draft is the extension of the term of protection of copyright from 30 to 70 years as well as the inclusion of new limitations and exceptions to copyright and increases in penalties for offenses related to infringements of copyright.
The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.