KUALA LUMPUR: The Intellectual Property Corporation of Malaysia (MyIPO) today clarified that Public Performance Malaysia (PPM) Berhad’s involvement in the distribution of royalties to artistes is as a licensing body representative.
MyIPO director-general Datuk Mohd Roslan Mahayudin said PPM only assisted and cooperated in supplying usage reports to the Insolvency Department (JIM) to identify members of the Performers’ Rights and Interest Society of Malaysia (PRISM) Berhad who are eligible to receive the royalties.
He said since Music Rights Malaysia (MRM) Berhad had undergone a voluntary winding up on July 16, the mandate for the distribution of royalties has been placed under the Insolvency Department which acts as the permanent liquidator to PRISM.
Following this, MyIPO is currently working with Recording Performers Malaysia (RPM) Berhad as well as a committee formed on a voluntary initiative by MRM’s Caretaker Management Committee (CMC), namely PRISM Performers Verification & Claims Committee (PPVCC) to resolve the issue of royalties arrears involving RPM and PRISM members,” he said in a statement today.
As such, he said the CMC is a committee comprising representatives of each licensing body including MACP, RPM as well as PPM.
Mohd Roslan said this in response to a statement from Persatuan Karyawan Malaysia (Karyawan) published in a news portal recently which claimed abuse on the part of MyIPO on the distribution of royalties to singers and musicians to PPM.
Mohd Roslan said Karyawan’s allegations were baseless.
“As an agency that regulates intellectual property in the country, MyIPO always monitors and is concerned about the issue of collection and distribution of royalties and gives its full cooperation to resolve this issue.
“MyIPO also does not need to intervene directly because it involves the ‘private rights’ of members of the licensing body, so the issue regarding the collection and distribution of royalties needs to be resolved by the licensing bodies themselves and their respective members,“ he said. -Bernama
