Dear Editor,
The issues of intellectual property rights and the laws applicable to them in Guyana have become quite sore and there is some discussion which bears heavily toward the supposition that the mere enactment and enforcement of stringent modern laws will either completely eradicate the infringement of such rights or significantly reduce the practice. Indeed, one may easily provide statistics from around the world which indicate that this is so and come to the conclusion that this approach when applied in Guyana will have the same effect.
The enactment of new legislation which does not balance the needs of the society with the requirement to protect the rights of those persons who have invested their time and energy and skill in the creation of works entitled to such coverage will create greater frustration for both intellectual property holders and the consuming public. This is because the issues which affect Guyanese are far more complex in many instances than the societies from which these statistics in favour of the enactment and enforcement of stricter laws have been extracted. I would submit that the circumstances within which the Guyanese society is encased require far more sophisticated and creative solutions which will create a greater balance between the needs of the society and the rights of the property holders.