The ministry of justice and law enforcement (IRM) has proposed an amendment to copyright law that may lead to stricter sanctions on copiers and downloaders of music and movies, reports Napi.hu. The new law, which may come into force in January, comes in response to EU demands to end the monopoly of rights management organizations.
According to the portal, the amendment to the law is necessary, because the European Union has called on Hungary to end the ministry of education and culture’s control over rights management organizations. There are currently seven such bodies, each of which represent a different group of artists, including recording artists, filmmakers, performing artists, publishers, record companies, artists and photographers.
Though the amendment, details of which are yet to be released, affects Internet providers and other organizations, they were not involved in the decision-making process, said Dóra Petrányi, head of Magyar Telekom’s legal department. The provider thinks it is a sad tendency in Hungary that content providers or representatives of users are not involved in proposals regarding regulation of Internet usage.
András Kálmán, director of copyright protection organization ASVA, said the planned amendment would make the concept of copyright clearer to users. Kálmán believes Internet users must acknowledge that there are limitations to their usage rights, but admits that these are belittled by the opportunities available.