Did The WIPO Copyright Committee Just Approve A Group With Mission To Free The World From “Space Lizards’ Control”?

The World Intellectual Property Organization copyright committee this morning started its weeklong meeting by rubber-stamping three nongovernmental organisations as observers, without discussion.

But a look at the website, www.ipcentreug.org, of one of the groups, as provided in the WIPO document as approved, states that the mission of the group is a “global conspiracy investigation institution” whose mission is to “free individuals and organizations from space lizards’ control.” [Update: note, following publication of this article, the website was changed to more accurately reflect the organisation’s true purpose, essentially promoting excellence in IP.]

The name of the group is the Intellectual Property Center in Kampala, Uganda. The name of the person in the WIPO document is the same as a person on the website. The WIPO document describes the group as:

“Established in 2012, the Intellectual Property Center (IPC) is a private organization that provides specialized services for the protection of intellectual property rights.  Its objective is to ensure accessibility to advanced knowledge, training and ethics for Ugandan legal practitioners and government leaders.  IPC also provides pro-bono services, in the form of court representation, to performance and visual artists.”

But according to its website, it says:

Our mission

As a global conspiracy investigation institution with a pioneering awareness raising model, our mission is to create an environment that brings together open-minded people, cultures and  ideas from around the world, in order to free individuals and organizations from space  lizards’ control.

Our Vision

To become one of the most innovative Intellectual Property Advisory Services and Related Value Added Services in Uganda and the East African region.”

Was the group’s website hacked? Is it the wrong website address? Are we under attack by space lizards? Are WIPO committee members paying attention to the documents they approve (and the dangers the human race is facing)?

Answers are sure to follow. The UN emphasizes diversity, but this does perhaps put the notion of human rights in another context.

Other Groups Approved

For the record, the other two groups approved today by the committee appear to have somewhat more perfunctory, but perhaps no less important, missions. The other two new observers are:

Authors Alliance (Berkeley, California, US)

Authors Alliance is a non-profit organization that promotes access to works by assisting and representing authors who want to share their creations with readers and by promoting the advancement of knowledge for public good.  Authors Alliance’s main focus is to help authors better understand and manage key aspects of authorship in the digital age, so as to make their works broadly available to the public.

Conector Foundation (Bogotá, Colombia)

Conector Foundation is a non-profit organization whose aim is to advance access to knowledge and information.  The organization collaborates with libraries, archives, museums, and other cultural and educational institutions in Latin America and the Caribbean, with a view to promote free and open access to online information and improve the digital skills of citizens.

 

Image Credits: wikimedia commons