[A2k] RE: IFLA intervention_pcda4 on 11jun07

[Barbara Stratton]

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Below is IFLA's intervention at PCDA/4 this morning.
Kind regards
Barbara Stratton
WIPO, PCDA/4, Geneva 11-15 June 2007

Intervention by IFLA: the International Federation of Library Associations
on Monday 11th June 2007.
Thank you Mr Chairman
I speak on behalf of IFLA: the International Federation of Library
Associations.
IFLA congratulates the Chairman for outstanding chairmanship which is
achieving great progress this year in solidifying proposals for WIPO=92s
Development Agenda.
Member States will be aware that there have been many calls in the last few
years from the most august academic and learned institutions and highly
respected individuals including Nobel Prize winners representing the flower=
 of
human intellect, particularly for the protection of copyright to be rebalan=
ced
so that it can work more efficiently in the digital age.
Our members deliver both analogue and digital information to people in all
walks of life to support education, research, society, government, industry
and commerce throughout the world. We know that a most essential tool for t=
he
successful implementation and delivery of the Development Agenda is the
formulation in due course of a treaty on access to learning and knowledge
which updates and rebalances the now 11 year old and somewhat aging WCT and
WPPT and that this will benefit the acquisition of learning and the free fl=
ow
of information and result in greater innovation and economic prosperity for
all.
Already we have seen these calls for the rebalancing of copyright reiterate=
d
in the two independent studies on the European copyright framework and on t=
he
European Information Society Directive completed in the last six months for
the European Commission by the University of Amsterdam=92s Institute of
Information Law. Indeed the UK finance ministry=92s own independently
commissioned Gowers Review of Intellectual Property, which took its startin=
g
point from the Adelphi Charter=92s call for a balanced approach to intellec=
tual
property, reached similar conclusions in a number of areas, and all its
recommendations have been adopted by the UK government.
We understand that much progress and understanding was reached at the infor=
mal
meeting in Singapore last week. However, we realise that a number of Member
States would find it difficult at this stage to commit to something as soli=
d
as an agreement to proceed with an access to knowledge treaty since they do
not yet know what might be proposed in such a treaty =96 the concept offici=
ally
is currently just one line comprising Proposal 35 in Annex B. Nevertheless,=
 we
hope that Member States would recognise that the two WIPO internet treaties=
 of
1996 really do need to be revisited and updated and that the rebalancing th=
at
has been called for by so many is essential to deliver the Development Agen=
da
since access to learning and knowledge is a vital tool for economic, social
and intellectual development. In that spirit we suggest that Member States
might wish to consider agreeing as part of this process, simply that they w=
ill
consider any proposals for an access to knowledge treaty and other mechanis=
ms
to facilitate such goals that might in future be put forward by one or more
Member States.
Thank you for your attention.
Barbara Stratton
IFLA Copyright & other Legal Matters Committee
http://www.ifla.org/III/clm/copyr.htm[1]

=3D=3D=3DReferences:=3D=3D=3D
  1. http://www.ifla.org/III/clm/copyr.htm