Real Estate, Business Groups Oppose Copyright Act Amendments
24 September 2012
A group of business and real estate associations are actively opposing the proposed amendments to Malaysia’s Copyright Act 1987, which would hold landlords liable when renters use their property for infringing activities.
The associations said the amendments were “unfair, unreasonable, untenable and impractical” at a joint press conference attended by the seven associations: the Associated Chinese Chambers of Commerce and Industry (ACCCIM), Real Estate and Housing Developers’ Association Malaysia (Rehda), Malaysian Association for Shopping and Highrise Complex Management, Malaysia Retailers Association, Malaysia Retailer-Chains Association, Building Management Association of Malaysia (BMAM) and International Real Estate Federation Malaysia Chapter.
The group also fears that the amendments will dampen the property rental market and discourage foreign and local investors from investing in the property market, they said.
“It is totally unreasonable from the point of enforcement of public law. The enforcement agencies must do their jobs,” said the ACCCIM’s Teo Chiang Kok. “If they can’t solve them, they should not pass the buck to landlords. Landlords can’t be the police. They neither have firearms nor laws to protect themselves against danger.”
S Venkateswaran, the secretary-general from BMAM, said the requirement for landlords to crack down on infringers is outside the realm of responsibilities for landlords. “It’s not possible for [landlords] to conduct raids as they would require search warrants,” he said.
The amendments would also increase the cost of doing business, said former Rehda president Eddy Chen Lok Loi, because the landlords will be required to train their staff on intellectual property rights enforcement.
