[A2k] PCDA/3 IFLA/eIFL 2nd statement

[Barbara Stratton]

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IFLA: International Federation of Library Associations
EIFL: Electronic Information for Libraries
Joint Intervention: Annex A, Cluster A, Proposal 12
Provisional Committee on Proposals Related to a WIPO Development Agenda
Third Session, Geneva, February 19-23, 2007
I speak on behalf of IFLA and eIFL. We have already commented on Cluster B
Proposal 17 earlier today and indeed commented in detail on the public doma=
in
a year ago at PCDA/1. I speak now concerning Annex A, Cluster A Proposal 12=
,
which is to take into account different levels of development.
We note that in the Information Column (iii) it is stated that work on the
creation and strengthening of collective management of copyright in African=
,
Asian and the Caribbean countries takes into account the size of the market
and the resources available. On the contrary, our experience from working w=
ith
our members in developing countries shows this is not the case.  Librarians=
 in
developing and transition countries are increasingly aware of the impact on
their budgets of large amounts of money paid in buying book and journal sto=
ck
and in licence fees flowing through Reproduction Rights Organisations (RROs=
)
to large corporations and creators in the global north. Regions, such as
Africa, are net consumers of copyright goods, leading to a concern that
collecting societies are =93foreign revenue collectors=94 i.e. sending more=
 money
out of the country than they receive in return.
We know that, even in extremely poor countries, the first market sector to =
be
targeted by collecting societies, is usually the education sector, research
institutions, libraries and other publicly funded bodies which are risk ave=
rse
soft targets and always going to try to be legally compliant. This of cours=
e
makes business sense to RROs since the public sector organisation decision
makers are easy to identify and they are then able to generate the maximum
return in the shortest time.
However, access to information and knowledge is critical to the education a=
nd
training needs of poor countries, whose human capital is central to their
development. It is vital therefore that scarce funds are not diverted from
basic educational needs, front-line activities or the purchase of primary
resources by libraries, upon which students almost entirely depend. For
developing countries it would be fairer if emergent RROs began their
activities in the commercial sector instead of targeting the poorest and mo=
st
vulnerable organisations in the not-for-profit sector.
With regard to collective licensing WIPO should be overseeing a more equita=
ble
regime which respects the basic needs of a developing economy and this is w=
hat
we expect from Proposal 12.
Thank you for your attention.