[A2k] Michael Geist: WIPO Broadcast Treaty Lurches Forward

[James Love]

http://www.michaelgeist.ca/index.php?
option=com_content&task=view&id=1236
Michael Geist
WIPO Broadcast Treaty Lurches Forward

Reports from Geneva indicate that five days of discussion at WIPO has
led to a compromise on the proposed Broadcasting Treaty with a two-
track approach that removes highly contentious webcast  provisions
from the conventional broadcast treaty.  While this is good news, the
entire broadcast treaty is a solution in search of a problem. It does
great harm to the notion of copyright protection for creators given
that protection is granted for decades based merely on the financial
investment of broadcasters.  Where does Canada stand on the broadcast
treaty?  It is hard to tell, given that we've had no public
consultations and the Canadian delegation says little during the
debates.  A good guess is that the government is a tepid supporter,
but Canadians shouldn't have to guess.


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James Love, CPTech / www.cptech.org / mailto:james.love@cptech.org /
tel. +1.202.332.2670 / mobile +1.202.361.3040

"If everyone thinks the same: No one thinks."  Bill Walton