$M fine for black market touts Cricket World Cup 2007:
By Neil Marks
Guyana Chronicle
November 1, 2006

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PROPOSING a $1.6M fine on sellers of “black market” tickets, and a minimum of $3.2M for those who violate advertising rules, Sunset legislation was tabled in a fully constituted National Assembly yesterday, as the Government moved to fulfill legal obligations in successfully running off the quarter finals of Cricket World Cup 2007.

Members of the main opposition People’s National Congress Reform (PNCR), including Mr Robert Corbin, who was again elected Opposition Leader, were sworn in as Members of Parliament. They were not in attendance when Parliament convened on September 28.

Minister of Culture, Youth and Sport, Dr Frank Anthony, introduced the bill in the House yesterday, noting that the legislation is being tabled to make provision for the fulfillment of Guyana’s commitment to the “efficient and effective” staging of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Cricket World Cup West Indies 2007 and for related purposes.

The Bill is expected to come up for debate in the National Assembly Thursday and it is not likely to see resistance from opposition parliamentary parties.

Preventing ambush marketing is one of the primary objectives of the legislation, as the ICC seeks to maintain the “value and purity” of the event to be staged in nine countries across the Caribbean.

The legislation is similar in nature in all the host venues. Because the games are expected to be viewed by more than two billion people, it is fertile ground for those not associated with the event to seek to profit off of it, officials have said.

The managers of CWC feel those who seek to profit from the event by using the official logo, or other signature statements and markers, would create doubt and confusion as to who really is associated with the event. By so doing, these would rob the legitimate sponsors, be they global or official, and those with licences to carry out certain businesses, of their rightful advertising and marketing mileage.

As such, the legislation states that persons who publish or display any advertisement connected with CWC 2007, which is false or misleading, could face a minimum fine of $3.2M or, in the case of a second conviction, $4.8M.

Persons who use the marks and other images of CWC 2007 without the necessary permission would be liable to a fine of $1.6M on the first conviction and a fine of $3.2M in the case of a second conviction.

Regarding traffic control, a person on a closed road (this could also be a footpath or a thoroughfare) who is asked to move and refuses, or if someone brings a vehicle on a closed road and refuses to move, faces a fine of G$800,000.

Items which would be prohibited from the event venue include alcohol, dangerous weapons and imitation weapons, firearms, explosives, knives, fireworks, flares, illegal drugs and narcotics, cans or tins, glass bottles and flag poles.

Items which would be restricted include balls, Frisbees and other similar items, bicycles, chairs, branded drinks and snacks, bands and musical instruments, unless permission is granted.

The legislation also seeks to control airspace, giving the Central Aviation Authority the right to issue air clearance for a person to operate an aircraft within the airspace of the venue, as long as it does not affect the organization and staging of CWC 2007.

It also seeks to regulate conduct, including entry and exit, into the stadium.