CIIPO (the Cayman Islands Intellectual Property Office) recently staged training sessions with three Government agencies regarding the enforcement of The Copyright (Cayman Islands) Order 2015.

Staff members from Customs, the Department of Commerce and Investment (DCI), and the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service (RCIPS) were educated on their powers under the law, which came into effect on 30 June.

‘The new law defines the extent of copyright protection in Cayman by stating the rights of persons who create original literary, artistic, dramatic or musical works. It also provides the framework for enforcement’, Minister for Commerce Wayne Panton said.

CIIPO was created in May 2016 to register intellectual property (IP), such as trade marks, that needs to be recorded as part of its legal protection. It will also provide information to the local and global public about IP protection in Cayman, in the form of copyrights, patents, trade marks, and design rights.

In regards to enforcement, the law gives DCI and the RCIPS robust enforcement capabilities.

‘Once probable cause has been established, DCI and the RCIPS will search businesses and seize products suspected of copyright infringement’, Minister Panton said.

A copyright holder also can facilitate Customs, DCI and RCIPS investigations, and possibly other enforcement actions, by issuing written notices to the aforementioned agencies alleging the presence of infringing goods and businesses.

In addition, a copyright holder can retain legal counsel and either use civil litigation tactics such as seizures and injunctions against the infringing party, or pursue a criminal case by issuing a formal complaint to DCI.

The training sessions, which wrapped up in early August at the Government Administration Building, were presented by Abraham Thoppil, who serves on multiple subcommittees that helped draft the copyright law and additional legislation covering other areas of IP.

For more information on copyrights and IP enforcement, visit http://www.ciipo.gov.ky or email [email protected]