Niall Collins (Limerick County, Fianna Fail)
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223. To ask the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation her views on the recommendation made in 2013 by the copyright review committee on the need for a small claims intellectual property process as prevalent in other European Union states; and if she will make a statement on the matter. [13978/16]

Mary Mitchell O'Connor (Dún Laoghaire, Fine Gael)
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An independent Copyright Review Committee was established by the then Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation in May 2011 to examine the Irish copyright framework from the perspective of removing any obstacles to developing and growing innovation. The Report of the Copyright Review Committee entitled “Modernising Copyright” was published in October 2013. In its Report, the Committee made in excess of 60 recommendations covering a diverse range of copyright issues, including that of access to justice before the Courts, particularly for low-value claims.

Since the publication of the Report, my Department has conducted extensive analysis of the recommendations, including an in-depth assessment of the complex legal issues involved in certain of the proposals with the Office of the Attorney General, as well as examination of the proposals from a policy perspective with relevant Government Departments.

The Deputy will appreciate that in general, the issue of the jurisdiction of the courts is not an aspect that comes within my Department’s direct responsibility. Nonetheless, my officials have examined this issue with officials in the Department of Justice and Equality, to examine options to improve access to justice for lower value claims as it impacts on the area of intellectual property, for which I have responsibility.

I hope to be in a position, in coming weeks, to bring to Government the Department's response to the Committee’s recommendations and to seek approval for legislative proposals in relation to a number of the Committee's recommendations.