In April, I read something that caught my eye on Twitter. It was a series of announcements made by Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid, Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, to double the GDP contribution of creative industries to five per cent of Dubai’s economy by 2025.
Sheikh Mohammed said: “The UAE is a global economic capital and creativity is part of our economy and of our quality of life, and a major engine for the future of our country”.
This included a plan to make a creative zone in Dubai’s industrial district of Al Quoz that would transform the Emirate, making it an artistic and cultural city.
In parallel, a month earlier, the conferment of the ten-year Golden Visa for distinguished cultural professionals and those in creative fields was established, another excellent move that will attract creatives from a number of fields to the UAE, a place from which they can set up businesses and realise their ambitions.
Comment from The National
Besides Dubai, other Emirates also support the work and requirements of people in cultural industries, with the common goal of encouraging art and culture in the UAE, and to protect and provide incentives to people in creative fields.
These industries comprise, but are not limited to, publishing, writing, audio and film, and also pertain to the fields of software, fashion, gaming, design and architecture.
When looking out for creatives, one area that is worth further examination is copyright law and its legal framework. In my professional capacity, I have come across numerous incidents over the years where copyright infringement issues have arisen.
From cases such as a photographs being used without the permission of the photographer, to disputes over fees to reproduce a segment of, say, a documentary film, especially if the author behind the work cannot be traced. There have been a number of such cases.
It is frustrating to hear the stories from artist friends asking my advice when they find themselves victims of copyright violations, instances where their art work has been used in advertisements or printed on products without their knowledge or permission.
I recall a recent example of a young jewellery designer’s beautiful and unique work copied from her website by another person, who had then manufactured very similar pieces and passed them on as their own designs.
This makes the creator of the original work feel helpless, unsure of what to do and from whom to seek help. This is where tightening existing laws comes into play.
So, what exactly is copyright and why is it important to artists, and by extension, to the very cultural fabric of a society?
Copyright describes the legal rights of the owner of intellectual property (IP), giving them exclusive rights to share or make copies of their creative work. It is to protect the artist’s expression of an idea, but not the idea itself.
Copyright applies to a broad range of expressions, from literary work, software, art, paintings, music, dramatic pieces and audio-visual expressions that include, but are not limited to, photography, film and so on. It is essential to sustain the morale of artists and ensure they have rights – although with limitations and exceptions – for how their work is reproduced, shared, copied or published. This is to prevent the exploitation of artists and to give value to their work. Robust copyright laws help develop and protect cultural industries by encouraging innovation. So, having these laws in place perpetuates a culture where freedom of creative expression is respected.
In today’s age of non-fungible tokens or NFTs, the digital revolution has made the issue of copyright implementation especially urgent. With easy accessibility and frequent cases of copying or sharing without consent, it is imperative for copyright laws to be properly defined.
The UAE has strong copyright laws. As a signatory to the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, the UAE has adopted measures similar to those in a number of jurisdictions, such as Egypt, the UK and France, to form the basis for a number of its own laws.
However, infringement still occurs across the region for two main reasons.
The first, which can be difficult to tackle, is that regulations differ from country to country and, therefore, the matter of which laws apply in which jurisdictions often comes up. Secondly, some of the existing laws can be obsolete.
Fortunately, we can do something about this. We can update the current UAE copyright laws and enforce them as a way to protect creatives. This would then give them a sense of relief, as artists and creatives are assured that a clear legal recourse is available, if and when the need arises.
Despite the many legal protections already in place, the UAE will benefit by keeping up with the new direction and vision of the world’s creative industries. As Sultan Sooud Al Qassemi, founder of the Barjeel Art Foundation and an academic, said: “In order for the UAE to keep attracting creative talents from the region and beyond, we have to continuously update our IP and copyright laws and regulations, especially in a fast-changing environment.”
In recent years, the EU and US have made improvements to offer further legal protection to artists, especially to those whose medium is the relatively new space of digital art. In keeping with the global trend to safeguard creativity, it would be in the UAE’s interest to revise existing laws and modify them where necessary.
Moreover, disseminating information to artists and creatives about their rights empowers them to seek appropriate action. In instances where their work or ideas have been used without permission, an author would be shielded from infringement. The message would be clear: creative work cannot be arbitrarily transferred without the permission of its creator.
There are other facets to the law that empower creative professionals. For example, the law gives authors or creators the right to protect their anonymity, if he or she so wishes. Anyone who then exposes their identity can be prosecuted.
Creatives also have the legal right to be remunerated for when their work is reproduced. The federal law on copyright in the Emirates already goes a long way to defend the moral and economic rights of a creative, be it a writer, a musician or a designer. Any creative is given automatic protection, though registration with the UAE Ministry of Economy is recommended to reinforce the authenticity of their work.
The Emirates has already gained global recognition for its flourishing arts ecosystem, whether it is for the UAE pavilion in the Venice Biennale, the Sharjah Biennial, all the museums in the UAE – there are more than 50 – the art fairs of Dubai and Abu Dhabi, the various festivals, or the public installations and commercial galleries that prosper in almost every emirate of the country.
Given these world-class institutions and cultural spaces, a stronger and more strongly executed copyright law will certainly add to the glow of the UAE’s art world.
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Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
Company profile
Name: Oulo.com
Founder: Kamal Nazha
Based: Dubai
Founded: 2020
Number of employees: 5
Sector: Technology
Funding: $450,000
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WWE World Heavyweight ChampionshipAJ Styles (champion) v Shinsuke Nakamura
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Tips for newlyweds to better manage finances
All couples are unique and have to create a financial blueprint that is most suitable for their relationship, says Vijay Valecha, chief investment officer at Century Financial. He offers his top five tips for couples to better manage their finances.
Discuss your assets and debts: When married, it’s important to understand each other’s personal financial situation. It’s necessary to know upfront what each party brings to the table, as debts and assets affect spending habits and joint loan qualifications. Discussing all aspects of their finances as a couple prevents anyone from being blindsided later.
Decide on the financial/saving goals: Spouses should independently list their top goals and share their lists with one another to shape a joint plan. Writing down clear goals will help them determine how much to save each month, how much to put aside for short-term goals, and how they will reach their long-term financial goals.
Set a budget: A budget can keep the couple be mindful of their income and expenses. With a monthly budget, couples will know exactly how much they can spend in a category each month, how much they have to work with and what spending areas need to be evaluated.
Decide who manages what: When it comes to handling finances, it’s a good idea to decide who manages what. For example, one person might take on the day-to-day bills, while the other tackles long-term investments and retirement plans.
Money date nights: Talking about money should be a healthy, ongoing conversation and couples should not wait for something to go wrong. They should set time aside every month to talk about future financial decisions and see the progress they’ve made together towards accomplishing their goals.
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
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