[A2k] In EDRI-gram: A2K and more on WIPO accreditation

[Manon Ress]

EDRI-gram
biweekly newsletter about digital civil rights in Europe
Number 3.5, 10 March 2005

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10. Geneva meeting on access to knowledge
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On 3-4 February 2005, more than 60 academics, researchers and
scientists, software developers, diplomats, librarians, consumers and
representatives of disability and other public interest groups from
north and south gathered in Geneva to discuss the WIPO Development
Agenda and a draft Treaty on Access to Knowledge (A2K). The meeting was
organised by the Consumer Project on Technology (CPTech), Third World
Network (TWN) and the International Federation of Library Associations
and Institutions (IFLA).

The aim of the meeting was to find common ground amongst the diverse
range of interest groups who feel harmed by current intellectual
property regimes, to discuss proposals for a draft treaty on access to
knowledge and to start to build a global, social movement to advance the
Access to Knowledge agenda.

In October 2004 the WIPO General Assembly decided to establish a WIPO
Development Agenda. This far-reaching proposal, initiated by the
governments of Argentina and Brazil, received support from dozens of
developing countries. It asks for fundamental changes at WIPO. Some of
the proposals are directed at the special concerns of developing
countries, while others are aimed at institutional reform within WIPO to
give more weight to public and consumer interests.

Civil Society responded to the WIPO Development Agenda by proposing a
draft Treaty on Access to Knowledge. It emphasises freedoms rather than
restrictions and focuses on the cumulative effect on society and the
global economy in terms of access to information, education and learning
resources, scientific data and research, culture and entertainment.

Specific aspects of an A2K treaty were dealt with in Geneva in lively
discussions about a fascinating array of proposals, illustrating just
how far copyright and patent laws have reached into the realms of
scientific research and patterns of consumer behaviour. These included
(in no particular order):

-exceptions and limitations in copyright law and patent rights;
-needs of libraries, blind and visually impaired people, distance education;
-open access to research literature;
-ways to address abuse of rights such as control of anti-competitive
practices in contractual licences;
-digital rights management systems and anti-circumvention;
-patents and public goods databases;
-government procurement and free/open source software;
-open standards;
-deep linking policies.

As CPTech Director James Love said afterwards "Some proposals were new,
such as the patent and procurement mechanisms to protect open standards.
Others, like those concerning open access archives for publicly funded
research, are already part of the policy landscape in some countries,
including the US, but are not part of any multilateral instrument to
promote access to knowledge. This was a very good start, but there is
much work ahead."

The WIPO Development Agenda will be discussed by WIPO member states at a
special intergovernmental meeting and during the bi-annual meeting of
the Permanent Committee on Cooperation for Development Related to
Intellectual Property, both in April, followed by an inter-agency
meeting for UN agencies. The Standing Committee on Copyright and Related
Rights (SCCRR), from which the proposal for a Development Agenda
originated, is due to meet in June. The WIPO Secretariat will prepare a
report by 30 July 2005 for the next General Assembly in September 2005.
One of the problems civil society organisations are facing is that the
WIPO Secretariat have interpreted the wording of the General Assembly
decision to exclude 'ad hoc accreditations' for the April meetings. In
other words, only organisations with permanent observer status may
attend. Both European Digital Rights and eIFL.net are currently trying
very hard to be able to attend.

Full version of this report (February 2005)
http://www.eifl.net/services/a2k_feb05.html

Geneva Declaration on the Future of WIPO
http://www.cptech.org/ip/wipo/futureofwipo.html

(Contribution by Teresa Hackett, eIFL-IP Project Manager)


--
Manon Anne Ress
manon.ress@cptech.org,
www.cptech.org

Consumer Project on Technology in Washington, DC PO Box 19367,
Washington, DC 20036, USA Tel.:  +1.202.387.8030, fax: +1.202.234.5176

Consumer Project on Technology in Geneva, 1 Route des  Morillons, CP
2100, 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland. Tel: +41 22 791 6727

Consumer Project on Technology in London, 24 Highbury Crescent, London,
N5 1RX, UK. Tel:+44(0)207 226 6663 ex 252. Mob:+44(0)790 386 4642. Fax:
+44(0)207 354 0607