Camillus Glynn (Fianna Fail)

One of the things which will ruin what we have come to regard as intellectual property is piracy which has been brought to my notice on a number of occasions. I have had an interest in the music business for quite some time. The products of struggling artists, especially in the area of traditional music, are being pirated.

On a recent visit to Scotland, I spoke to Jimmy Shand junior. I have a great interest in the music his father played. He was very famous and a great favourite in Ireland, especially among accordion players. Much of the music of Jimmy Shand senior has been pirated. On that visit, I produced a CD but Jimmy junior was not aware that this CD was on the market. It had certainly not come from the publisher who dealt with his father's music or, indeed, his music. That is an example of what is going on.

The same is the case with videos and DVDs. Even films currently showing are pirated. A person goes into a cinema with a camera, records the film, downloads it onto a DVD and sells it. People who buy that type of material are encouraging people of that ilk to carry on with that practice, which should be done away with. People who pirate copyrighted property should suffer the full rigours of the law because they are destroying the livelihood of honest artists. Everything possible must be done to eliminate this practice from our important entertainment industry. The late Joe Dolan was from Mullingar and no matter what part of the world one was in, if one mentioned Mullingar, people knew it was his town. He made the town famous and was responsible for many people visiting it and the surrounding lakes. He put the town on the tourism map. However, even his music, and that of people like him, has been pirated. Everything that can be done to eliminate pirating must be done and severe penalties must be imposed on those involved in it.

The same goes for copying paintings, whether copies of rustic scenes or portraits. Some art fakes have found themselves up for sale when properties are sold and others have appeared in art sales. This must be eliminated. I wish the Minister of State well in his endeavour to stamp out the theft of intellectual property because such theft damages the arts and the work of individuals.