SRI LANKA Trends and Developments Contributed by: Anomi Wanigasekera, Charuni Hewage and Sabeera Shariff, Julius & Creasy
Trends in Copyright in Sri Lanka Increased protection of digital content
Public awareness campaigns The NIPO has started conducting public awareness workshops to educate people about the importance of respecting copyright. Creative industries and copyright Creative industries such as music, literature and film mainly depend on copyright protection. With the rise of digital platforms, local content creators require stronger copyright protection. Trends include the fol - lowing. Local content and global distribution The growth of online books, music and films empha - sises the need for stronger copyright measures. Government initiatives The government has launched initiatives to support local creators, including the creation of funds for crea - tive industries and policy changes aimed at promoting the local entertainment industry. Copyright protection for artificial intelligence (AI)- generated work Sri Lanka’s current IP legislation does not directly address the legality of AI-generated work, nor does it define the rights of non-human creators. If an AI is merely used as a tool by a person to generate content, such as assistance in the creation of art, music or writ - ing, the human user may be regarded as the author and will hold the copyright ownership. As defined under the IP Act, “author” means the physical person who created the work. However, if AI autonomously creates a work in the creative process, without any intervention by a person, the IP Act does not explicitly indicate who owns it. Therefore, the debate over whether AI can be an author or whether the rights would go to the crea - tor of the AI or its user remains unresolved. Owing to this current lack of regulations on AI in Sri Lanka and around the world, it is crucial to implement proper legal schemes to regulate rapidly advancing AI tech - nologies, which may soon demonstrate human-like reasoning capabilities.
The protection of digital content has increased in Sri Lanka as a result of the rapid expansion of the internet and digital platforms. More attention has been paid to copyright concerns pertaining to software, websites, music and online publications. Significant advance - ments include the following. Software piracy With increasing software usage, software piracy is an ongoing issue in Sri Lanka. Action has been taken to combat piracy through police raids, confiscation and legal action. Law enforcement agencies are tak - ing action against businesses that distribute pirated software. Another indirect strategy to lessen piracy has been to promote the usage of open-source software. The gov - ernment and industry associations contribute to the decrease in demand for pirated software by encourag - ing open-source and free alternatives to well-known proprietary software. Despite the relative success of these measures, soft - ware piracy is still a problem in Sri Lanka and around the world. Nonetheless, over time, increased aware - ness and a decrease in piracy have been facilitated by the continuous efforts of industry players and the government. Digital music and movies The extensive use of pirated movies and music has given rise to concerns regarding IP theft. Online plat - forms are targeted for hosting pirated content. Strengthening copyright enforcement Copyright law in Sri Lanka is improving, largely due to the impact from the Berne Convention and other inter - national organisations. However, there are concerns in ensuring that the copyright-related regulations are properly applied in the digital era. Collaboration with international bodies Sri Lanka is in collaboration with global institutions including the WTO and WIPO, in order to improve enforcement measures.
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