GMR
ISRC
17th July 2018
At the EU-Japan Summit today in Tokyo, the Japanese Prime Minister, Shinzo Abe, and President of the European Commission, Jean Claude Juncker, officially signed the Free Trade Agreement / Economic Partnership Agreement between the European Union and Japan.
Commenting on the agreement, Frances Moore, chief executive of IFPI, representing the recording industry worldwide, said: “We welcome the signing of the EU-Japan FTA EPA which marks an important strategic partnership between the European Union and Japan. We believe it will support the continued growth of both music markets and promote investment in culture in both regions.
“The agreement extends the term of protection for sound recordings in Japan to match the duration of protection in the EU. This is a mark of fairness as recording artists and producers should be protected equally well in both regions.
“We hope the EU and Japan will continue their discussions on the recording industry’s request for the introduction of the public performance right in Japan and that progress can be made in this area. Japan is one of the few countries that do not provide this right.
“We congratulate both negotiating teams and call upon the EU and Japan to proceed swiftly with the ratification process.”
For further information please contact:
Johnny.Phelan@ifpi.org / +32 (0) 2 511 92 08
press@ifpi.org / +44 (0) 20 7878 7979
@IFPI_ORG