WIPO Copyright Committee Meeting

It was a quite a trip to Geneva. As I mentioned in my previous post, I attended the World Intellectual Property Organization's Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) as a representative for the Library Copyright Alliance. The agenda consisted of three main issues: protection of audiovisual performances, protection of broadcasting organizations, and exceptions and limitations. The main purpose of this meeting was to establish a work program for the committee; there will be a longer meeting later this year after additional information is gathered and reported.The AV Performance issues are being examined at the General Assembly level, so delegates spoke mostly to inform that process. The Broadcast Organization (BO) issues have been discussed for over 12 years with no consensus; it was concluded that further work was needed to define the objectives, scope, and object(s) of protection.

It was a very good sign that exceptions and limitations (E&L) for libraries, distance education, and the visually-impaired appeared on the agenda. Brazil, Chile, Nicaragua, and Uruguay submitted a proposal that elaborated on a 2005 Chilean proposal suggesting an informational meeting to review existing and forthcoming studies on E&L and to prepare a comprehensive work plan. Three existing studies include the WIPO Study on Limitations and Exceptions of Copyright and Related Rights in the Digital Environment, WIPO Study on Automated Rights Management Systems and Copyright Limitations and Exceptions, and the WIPO Study on Copyright Limitations and Exceptions for the Visually Impaired. Kenneth Crews has been commissioned to publish a study on E&L for libraries, which the WIPO chair expects to be released this quarter. The committee requested that an additional study be undertaken regarding E&L for educational activities and distance education, including transborder aspects.

I had the opportunity to submit an intervention to the committee. We were only allowed three minutes, so my original statement was whittled down to just the basics that the LCA wanted me to communicate. The full text of the statement I read is available at the site of this press release.

I'm looking forward to the study on E&L for libraries, a possible study on distance learning, and following up at the next meeting. This is such a critical time for librarians and educators to be involved on an international level.