Tue, 17 Aug 2004

Appointment to Copyright Tribunal

Judith Tizard today announced the appointment of Paul Sumpter of Auckland as a Member of the Copyright Tribunal for a five year term.

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Associate Commerce Minister Judith Tizard today announced the appointment of Paul Sumpter of Auckland as a Member of the Copyright Tribunal for a five year term.

"Paul Sumpter's legal background and knowledge of copyright issues gives him excellent credentials to sit on the Copyright Tribunal," Hon Judith Tizard said.

Mr Sumpter has been a Barrister and Solicitor of the High Court of New Zealand since 1977 and a Barrister and Solicitor of the Supreme Court of New South Wales since 2000. He is a Registered Patent Attorney and Fellow of the Institute of Patent Attorney's of New Zealand.

In 2002 he moved from commercial practice to the University of Auckland, where he researches and lectures in intellectual property within the Law School. He now combines teaching with consultancy work for law firm Chapman Tripp. Prior to this he was for over 20 years a Partner at Kensington Swan dealing with a wide range of intellectual property litigation and commercial transactions including, in particular, copyright and contract disputes.

Mr Sumpter is the author of numerous articles on intellectual property subjects in the New Zealand Intellectual Property Journal, the New Zealand Law Journal and the Australian Intellectual Property Journal.

Additional Information

Role of the Copyright Tribunal

The Tribunal is a statutory body established under the Copyright Act 1994. The role of the Tribunal is to resolve disputes between licensing bodies, or proposed licensing bodies, and those who hold or seek licenses in respect of works of copyright.

Appointment of Members to the Copyright Tribunal

The Tribunal consists of a Chair and two members, who are appointed by the Governor-General on the recommendation of the Minister of Commerce. On 19 September 2002 the Minister of Commerce delegated to the Associate Minister of Commerce, Hon Judith Tizard, responsibility for intellectual property matters, including appointments.

The Tribunal deals with a complex body of law. All members must be able to deal with a diverse range of business and technological matters and are expected to have experience in, or the ability to, interpret legislation. It is also desirable for members to have an interest in copyright issues.

ENDS

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