Music Is Focus For This Year’s International IP Day At WIPO

Music is the chosen theme of the World Intellectual Property Organization to celebrate this year’s World Intellectual Property Day on 26 April. The organisation has a series of events planned starting next week, and in particular a roundtable on the future of the music industry with a panel of speakers from across the world.

According to WIPO, the organisation seeks to promote discussion about the role of intellectual property in innovation and creativity and this year chose the theme: “Get up, Stand up. For Music,” in reference to the famous Bob Marley song.

On 21 April, an international roundtable looking at “What’s ahead for music” will be organised featuring three musicians coming from Africa, Latin America and Norway, as well as a speaker from Warner Music Group.

Didier Awadi from Senegal is a rapper, and according to WIPO, is advocating musician’s rights. Susana Rinaldi, from Argentina, is a prominent tango singer, and since 2004 is the director of international relations and vice president of the Argentine Performers Association. Bendik Hofseth, from Norway, is a jazz musician, saxophonist, bandleader and composer. Finally, Chris Ancliff is general counsel, international, for Warner Music Group. Other speakers might join the group, WIPO said.

The roundtable is a public event. Registration is here.

WIPO is also organising an exhibition, inaugurated on 21 April, featuring the work of photojournalist Janet Macoska, and co-sponsored by the United States Mission, to run until 30 April 2015. US Ambassador Pamela Hamamoto is expected to inaugurate the exhibition.

From 23 to 26 April, WIPO also associates itself with the Geneva Cinéma du Grütli to present an international “mini-film festival” with a number of films about music.

Separately, the US Copyright Office will partner with the Copyright Alliance for a Copyright Matters programme, on the same theme as WIPO. The programme is expected to take place on 21 April at 10:30 in the Montpellier Room (6th Floor, James Madison Memorial Building, Library of Congress). The programme is free and open to the public, according to the US Copyright Office.

 

Image Credits: Flickr – Doug88888