Activists want to copyright intangible cultural treasures, like the hula dance
06/06/2005
By YASUKAZU AKADA, The Asahi Shimbun
What's the harm in belting out a few bars of traditional tunes like "El Condor Pasa" or staging an impromptu Hawaiian hula dance? Plenty, say copyright activists.They take issue with the notion that such things are in the public domain for anyone to sing or dance.
Now, these activists from developing countries say these and other intangible cultural treasures should be covered by copyright laws--not just for the original anonymous authors, but also for the cultures associated with the works.
They believe the homelands of such cultural treasures should decide who can and cannot profit from them. They want to hold the rights for reproductions or adaptations.
But industrialized nations are bitterly opposed on grounds that traditional works don't fit the existing copyright mold.
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