A MoU of Cooperation Signed in Support of Copyright Law

A MoU of Cooperation Signed in Support of Copyright Law

On December 28, 2016, Attorney General’s Office (AGO), Ministry of Information and Culture, Ministry of Interior Affairs and Ministry of Finance signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) of Cooperation. Participants included Wahiduddin Arghoon, Deputy Attorney General for Administrative and Finance Affairs, Zardad Shams, Deputy Minister of Information and Culture, Deputy Minister of Finance, and Deputy Minister of Interior Affairs in a ceremony held in the National Archive.  

The relevant ministries have separate responsibilities in executing the provisions of the MoU of Cooperation. According to the Deputy Minister of Information and Culture, not only his ministry but the AGO and the Ministries of Finance and Interior Affairs shall be accountable for executing provisions of the Copyright Law since they play an important role. The Deputy Minister continued, “The Ministry of Information and Culture will launch awareness programs regarding the rights and responsibilities of copyright owners.”

The Deputy Attorney General for Administrative and Finance said, “As a judicial institution, the AGO has a key role in providing justice and in collaboration with other offices, supports the artistic, literary, and cultural authors’ rights.

Based on this MoU of Cooperation, investigation of crimes related to violation of copyright law, filing a lawsuit in the courts, and dealing with the victims’ complaints are the important responsibilities of the AGO. In the meantime, the AGO will introduce some of its employees for the training courses held by Ministry of Information and Culture.  

The government of Afghanistan, under the Constitution, is responsible to protect the rights of the citizens. Therefore, copyright is also one of the individual rights of the people. With respect to the agenda of the ceremony, the Deputy Minister of Finance said, “The Customs Department of the Ministry of Finance is prepared to cooperate in investigation of copyright violations.”

The duties laid out in the Memorandum of Cooperation for the Ministry of Interior Affairs include detecting crimes, arresting suspects, confiscating forged assets, collecting documents, and following up and prosecuting suspects.

Article 47 of the Afghan Constitution mentions, “The state shall devise effective programs for fostering knowledge, culture, literature, and arts.

The state shall guarantee the copyrights of authors, inventors, and discoverers, and shall encourage and protect scientific research in all fields, publicizing their results for effective use in accordance with the provisions of the law.”

The President approved the Copyright Law in 2008 by issuing a legislative decree. However, they have not worked seriously on implementation of this law.