WIPO Copyright Committee Opens With Debate Over Broadcasting Treaty 02/07/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization copyright committeebegan a week of discussions with delegates trying to decide what rights the treaty protecting broadcasting organisations should confer and if it should include internet transmissions. At the outset, a proposal to include industry “experts” into informal consultations to answer technical questions was challenged by several countries. And limitations […]
WIPO Delegates Dig Into Core Issues Of Draft Broadcasting Treaty 30/04/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The first half of this week’s World Intellectual Property Organization copyright committee meeting was devoted to a potential treaty to protect broadcasters’ rights. Delegations struggled to find common ground on core questions such as the scope of the protection to be granted and specific rights. This was partly attributed to the highly technical nature of the subject and informal consultations were said to have achieved more clarity on issues.
WIPO Copyright Committee To Consider Broadcasting Treaty, Exceptions For Libraries 24/04/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment World Intellectual Property Organization delegates next week are expected to pore over a draft treaty text offering protection to broadcasters. Some issues, such as what the protection should cover, remain in the way of consensual language, and a new proposal has been put forward by the United Kingdom. Also on the agenda of the copyright committee is exceptions and limitations for libraries and archives, for which the nature of the instrument(s) that would provide such exceptions is not yet defined. Another agenda item is a proposal on a copyright consortium for managing books for visually impaired persons.
Broadcasting Treaty Moving At WIPO; Library Copyright Exceptions Slower 22/12/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments After a week of work on the three current subjects of the World Intellectual Property Organization copyright committee, member states mostly made progress on a potential treaty to protect broadcasting organisations, while exceptions and limitations to copyright for libraries, archives, education and research remain in the stage of determining broad concepts.
After Beijing And Marrakesh, WIPO Copyright Committee Feels The Pressure 17/12/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Expectations are high this week on the outcome of discussions of the World Intellectual Property Organization committee on copyright. On the agenda is a potential new treaty protecting broadcasting organisations, and limitations and exceptions to copyright for libraries, archives, and education. In the mix is a new proposal by Japan to include computer networks in protected broadcasts.
After Marrakesh, WIPO Copyright Committee Eyes Next Treaties 27/09/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The future work of the World Intellectual Property Organization on copyright policy after the success of the treaty to facilitate access to special format works for visually impaired people last June in Marrakesh is subject to controversy this week at the General Assembly of the Organisation. The committee still has three potential treaties brewing and priorities have to be decided upon. As of last night, the issue remained open, joining a set of others left to informal consultations.
In Aftermath Of Treaty Adoption, Civil Society, Industry Reflect On Outcome 28/06/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Hours after the adoption of the World Intellectual Property Organization Marrakesh treaty expected to facilitate access to special format books for visually impaired people, a range of stakeholders gathered for a stocktaking exercise on the treaty.
Interview With WIPO Director General Francis Gurry On New WIPO Treaty 27/06/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment With this week’s agreement in Marrakesh, Morocco on an international treaty to ease cross-border access for the blind to copyrighted books, the UN World Intellectual Property Organization has completed its second treaty in the past 12 months – with more potentially on the way. WIPO Director General Francis Gurry sat down with Intellectual Property Watch’s Catherine Saez in Morocco hours after the treaty text was agreed by WIPO members to discuss what it means.
WIPO Treaty For The Blind Shows That Transparency Can Work (And Is Necessary) 26/06/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Prof. Sean Flynn writes that the transparency in the breakthrough agreement on an international treaty for the visually impaired in Morocco is a lesson for trade negotiators who encounter difficulties after keeping trade agreement texts secret until negotiations are over, such as in the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP).
Expectations High As End Of Substantive Negotiations Near For Blind Treaty Negotiators 25/06/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Marrakesh, Morocco – Today is the day for World Intellectual Property Organization negotiators to find consensus on longstanding issues and come up with language that can satisfy all countries’ concerns on a treaty, the first of its kind, that would provide copyright exceptions for visually impaired people to have wider access to books worldwide.