No images? Click here Agreement in principle with the UK28 October 2021Tēnā koutou Thank you for your patience since our last update on the review of the Copyright Act 1994 earlier this year. Copyright reforms expected following trade agreement with the United KingdomLast week, the Prime Minister and the Minister for Trade and Export Growth announced that New Zealand and the UK have reached Agreement in Principle (AIP) on a high quality, comprehensive and inclusive free trade agreement. You can find the AIP, more detail on the outcomes and next steps on the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade (MFAT) website. NZ and UK AIP – MFAT website The AIP confirms the parameters of the deal and sets out the terms on which the text will be concluded. For the intellectual property chapter of the full agreement, the AIP means that this will include commitments relating to copyright term, performers rights and a resale right for visual artists. Some of these commitments will require amendments to the Copyright Act 1994 after an agreement is signed. What this means for the review of the Copyright Act 1994While negotiations with the UK continue, the government will not be resuming work on the Copyright Act review. The AIP provides the basis for negotiations on the details of an intellectual property chapter for the formal trade agreement. Until negotiations have concluded, we will not know the exact nature and timing of any changes New Zealand needs to make to its copyright settings to comply with the agreement. Once negotiations with the UK have concluded, we will be able to develop a plan for making changes to our copyright law necessary for implementation and this will help us to establish what if any other domestic reforms are needed. The aim is to conclude the NZ-UK FTA by the end of this year. If you would like to contact the Ministry of Foreign Affairs & Trade about the NZ-UK FTA Agreement in Principle, please get in touch by email UKFTA@mfat.govt.nz. Thank you for your continued interest, The intellectual property policy team at MBIE. |