Protecting copyright - Wild west ethics harm reputation

ONE of the barbs that struck most deeply at our international reputation and self-image was the description of Ireland, by the New York Times, as the wild west of European finance.

Though we may have bristled with indignation at the time, history has confirmed that the description was a lot less scathing than it could have been. By now that indignation has surely turned to regret.

Yesterday Paul McGuinness, the manager of U2, recycled the metaphor but in a different context. In the light of Mr Justice Peter Charleton’s High Court ruling related to music downloading, Mr McGuinness warned that unless Government properly amends the Copyright and Related Rights Acts (2000) to give force to European directives, Ireland could become known as the wild west of the European music industry.