Peru: IP cares about the cultural expression of a country

The Peruvian National Institute for the Defence of Competition and Protection of Intellectual Property (Indecopi) recently stated actions against national and local clubs, recreation centres, karaoke, clubs and restaurants, among others.

Indecopi through the Directorate of Copyright, brought, ex officio, actions against 36 centres due to illegally disseminating musical works. The said complaints were noted when the specialized staff from the Directorate of Copyright was making routine inspections in different locations nationwide. The staff found that some of these places did not have proper authorization to play certain music.




Public communication (diffusion) of musical works that do not have prior written authorization of the authors or collective management society representing them are prohibited. This type of infringement may be sanctioned by a fine up to 180 UIT (tax units) and a penalty of up to 8 years of prison.

Facts: The collective society in Peru is called Peruvian Association of Authors and Composers (APDAY). Copyright law follows a common IP system, through CAN Decision 486 – the Andean Community.

The news were published in the new and improved Indecopi web portal. At the end of the news, Indecopi reaffirmed its interest in promoting the protection of IP but in general it notes that “intellectual property helps to improve the competitiveness of our country” adding that IP supports “the work of creators and artists whose art serve as a means of expression of our cultural identity.”