Provision for restricting importation of infringing copies

(1) The owner of the copyright in any published literary or musical work or in any film or published sound recording may give notice in writing to the Comptroller of Customs, (a) that he is the owner of the copyright in the work, film or sound recording; and (b) that he requests the Comptroller, during a period specified in the notice, to treat as prohibited goods copies of the work, film or sound recording to which this section applies, but the period specified in a notice under this subsection shall not exceed five years and shall not extend beyond the end of the period for which the copyright may subsist. (2) This section applies, in the case of a literary or musical work, film or sound recording, to any copy made outside Belize which is an infringing copy of the work, film or sound (3) Where a notice has been given under this section in respect of a literary or musical work, film or sound recording, and has not been withdrawn, the importation into Belize, at a time before the end of the period specified in the notice, of any copy of the work, film or sound recording to which this section applies shall, subject to the following provisions of this section, be prohibited; but this subsection shall not apply to the importation of any article by a person for his private and domestic use. 70 (4) The owner of the copyright in a literary or musical work, film or sound recording who gives notice to the Comptroller under this section shall comply with such conditions with respect to, (a) the form of the notice; (b) the furnishing of evidence, whether on giving notice, or on the importation of the goods, or at both such times; (c) the payment of fees in respect of the notice; (d) the giving of security in respect of any liability or expense which the Comptroller may incur in consequence of the notice by reason of the detention of any article or anything done to an article detained; (e) the indemnification of the Comptroller against any liability or expenses, whether security has been given or not; and (f) any or supplementary as may be prescribed, and different provisions may be prescribed for different classes of cases. (5) Notwithstanding anything in the Customs Regulation Act, Cap. 49, a person shall not be liable to any penalty under that Act (other than forfeiture of the goods) by reason that any goods are treated as prohibited goods by virtue of this section.