[A2k] Intellectual Property Watch: Agreement Reached On WIPO Development Agenda, Patents; No Broadcasting Yet

[Manon Ress]

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Broadcasting Still Up in the Air

Under the latest proposal on broadcasting, the assembly would approve
the convening of a diplomatic conference, or formal treaty
negotiation, in late 2007. There would be two special sessions of the
WIPO copyright committee during 2007 to address disagreements, and
next year=92s September assembly would hear the results of those meetings.

Two sentences were added on 30 September to the broadcasting treaty
draft decision. It states: =93The Diplomatic Conference will be
convened if such agreement is agreed. If no such agreement is
achieved, all further discussions will be based on Document SCCR/15/2.=94

The United States had been seeking to strengthen a =93safety clause=94
that would prevent the broadcast treaty negotiation from being held
if the special sessions did not resolve larger disagreements. The US
has been seen as a proponent of the treaty negotiation in the past,
but has raised concern with the draft proposal since webcasting and
simulcasting were dropped. It also has concerns about language tying
the treaty to other international agreements on cultural diversity,
and, according to a US official, also is responding to information
and communications technology industry lobbying against the current
draft proposal.

One negotiator also raised the question of why the same document on
which there has been contention, SCCR/15/2, would continue to be used
if there were no agreement. The broadcasting issue is expected to
come up on 2 October.


http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/index.php?p=3D410&res=3D1024_ff&print=3D0



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

Consumer Project on Technology
1621 Connecticut Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20009 USA
Tel.:  +1.202.332.2670, Ext 16 Fax: +1.202.332.2673

Consumer Project on Technology
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Tel: +41 22 791 6727

Consumer Project on Technology
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Tel: +44(0)207 226 6663 ex 252 Fax: +44(0)207 354 0607