Lieutenant Stitchie’s ‘outburst’ regarding the unauthorised filming of his performance at the Genesis gospel show in Montego Bay on New Year’s Eve has, unsurprisingly, captured some media attention.

According to entertainment writer, Keril Wright, the incident which offended many of the concert’s patrons, could prove costly to Stitchie’s career. It may not have been in good taste, but it was the truth.

But the incident, I believe, has resurrected a bigger issue concerning the abuse of intellectual property rights that has been perpetuated against Jamaican and Caribbean artistes in the religious and secular spheres.

Inherent in Stitchie’s performance is an intellectual property right, which is protected by the Jamaican Copyright Act of 1993. This is part of complex web of international law which also gives protection of intellectual property rights of almost every imaginable nature.

Thus an unauthorised filming of Stitchie’s performance constitutes a violation that could attract legal sanctions if pursued in a court of law. That’s something to think about. Similarly, promoters who advertise persons on their shows, without having a firm contractual arrangement, are also culpable.

In the meantime, artistes of every persuasion should afford themselves the benefit of helping to protect their copyright by registering themselves with a society that specialises in negotiating licences with persons who wish to use their members’ intellectual property.

We will learn much more about this as the Cricket World Cup 2007 rolls around. This will be a great opportunity for us to finally understand that copying and selling illicit CDs, videos, and DVDs are acts punishable by law. Since we produce so much, we have a lot to gain by being “legal”.

Contemporary Jamaica with its powerful branding simply cannot afford to be left behind where the protection of intellectual property is concerned.

According to reported sources, the value of our music alone may surpass tourism and bauxite in the near future. So let us not condemn those who “get up, stand up, for your rights” (Bob Marley).

James Moss-Solomon is the President of the Caribbean Association of Industry and Commerce.