Two Sides Of Copyright Law To Be Considered By WIPO Committee Next Week

The World Intellectual Property Organization committee on copyright is meeting next week with an agenda of discussions on a potential international instrument to protect broadcasting organisations’ copyrights, and at the same time exceptions and limitations to copyright for the benefit of libraries, archives, education, research, and persons with disabilities other than sight impairment.

The 30th session of the WIPO Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights is taking place from 29 June to 3 July 2015.

As planned at the last session of the SCCR in December (IPW, WIPO, 14 December 2014), a half-day information session on broadcasting technological developments is expected to take place on the first day of the meeting, according to a source.

The draft agenda [pdf] contains three main topics:

– The protection of broadcasting organizations, with a Working Document [pdf] for a Treaty on the Protection of Broadcasting Organizations;

– Limitations and exceptions for libraries and archives, with a Working Document [pdf] Containing Comments on and Textual Suggestions Towards an Appropriate International Legal Instrument (in whatever form) on Exceptions and Limitations for Libraries and Archives;

– Limitations and exceptions for educational and research institutions and for persons with other disabilities, with a Provisional Working Document [pdf] Towards an Appropriate International Legal Instrument (in Whatever Form) on Limitations and Exceptions for Educational, Teaching and Research Institutions and Persons with other Disabilities Containing Comments and Textual Suggestions.

Delegates are also expected to consider a new study [pdf] on copyright limitations and exceptions for museums, and an updated and revised study [pdf] on copyright limitations and exceptions for libraries and archives.

According to a source, the revised study combines two previous studies (2008 and 2014) written by US copyright lawyer Kenneth Crews into a single document that covers all 188 WIPO member states. The 2014 Crews study was discussed extensively at the last session of the SCCR (IPW, WIPO, 18 December 2015).

Other documents of the meetings include two documents previously put forward by the United States Objectives and Principles for Exceptions and Limitations for Libraries and Archives [pdf], and Objectives and Principles for Exceptions and Limitations for Educational, Teaching, and Research Institutions [pdf].

A Proposal on a Treaty on the Protection of Broadcasting and Cablecasting Organizations [pdf] previously submitted by Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine and Uzbekistan is also on the list of documents.

Also on the list of document is a document introduced by Brazil at the last session, which consolidates the proposed texts contained in the current working document on exceptions and limitations for libraries and archives. This consolidated document was prepared by the African Group, Brazil, Ecuador, India and Uruguay. It was meant to consolidate proposed texts by the African Group, Brazil, Uruguay and India.