COPYRIGHT INFORMATION AND CONTROL ASSOCIATION

The Copyright Information and Anti-Piracy Centre (CIAPC), situated in Helsinki, was established in 1979 to fight phonogram piracy. Over the years, CIAPC’s operation has expanded to cover a wider range of the creative industries. In 2004, it became a registered association. CIAPC is a non-profit association that is financed by its member associations (see below) as well as the Finnish Ministry of Education and Culture (http://www.minedu.fi/). CIAPC’s mission is to monitor and improve t... he general and common interests of its member associations by working against the infringement of their copyrights. Through the centralized surveillance of both the physical market and the Internet, CIAPC aims to prevent the production, distribution and import of unauthorized copies and recordings and put a stop to other acts that infringe copyright legislation. CIAPC follows the domestic and international development of judicial conditions and legislation, makes proposals and statements, keeps contact with the media, supports Finnish law enforcement agencies and handles actual infringement cases. CIAPC also functions as a general information centre on copyright issues through the production and distribution of brochures and teaching material and by organizing education on the topic at schools and conventions. In 2010, CIAPC visited 31 schools all over the country, reaching thousands of students from all grade levels. The visits were done in collaboration with Finnish musicians, authors or other representatives of the creative industries. In short, the objectives of CIAPC can be divided into four main categories: centralized surveillance of both the physical market and the Internet supporting law enforcement and handling of actual infringement cases education on copyright production and distribution of information on copyright.More