International Reggae Day will be observed today, July 1. Produced annually as a virtual media reggae festival hosted by Jamaica, IRD seeks to c****ine the power of music, media and technology to celebrate and highlight the power and impact of Jamaican culture around the world. IRD 2008 joins with the Toots Foundation in a one-year campaign to celebrate the 40th Anniversary of Reggae as defined by the 1968 recording of Do the Reggae by Toots and the Maytals, which is credited with giving the genre its name.

In recognition of International Reggae Day, the Jamaica Intellectual Property Office (JIPO) in association with the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), Jamaica Arts Holdings (JAH) and the Jamaica Trade & Invest (JTI), present the IRD Copyright Forum at the Terra Nova All Suite Hotel tomorrow.

According to JIPO's executive director, Carol Simpson, "Participants at the forum will have an opportunity to hear the important findings of the recently released WIPO Report on the contribution of the Jamaican Copyright to the national economy from its author, UWI lecturer and economist Dr Vanus James as well as other speakers.