[A2k] Next WIPO Copyright Committee agenda (not a joke)

[Manon Ress]

Meeting of the WIPO STANDING COMMITTEE ON COPYRIGHT AND RELATED RIGHTS

Seventeenth Session Geneva, November 3 to 7, 2008
http://www.wipo.int/meetings/en/details.jsp?meeting_id=16828
Here's the agenda:
1.	Opening of the session
2.	Adoption of the agenda of the seventeenth session
3.	Adoption of the Report of the sixteenth session of the Standing
Committee on 	Copyright and Related Rights
4.	Exceptions and limitations
5.	Protection of audiovisual performances
6.	Protection of broadcasting organizations
7.	Future work of the Committee
8.	Other matters
9.	Closing of the session

Some of you might remember years of discussions relating to
broadcasting, cablecasting and webcasting.  Well, it is still on the
agenda for the next meeting.

For item #6, Protection of broadcasting organizations, you have to
read Jukka Liedes' Paper (and yes, he's still the Chair of the
committee) to believe it.

See the 11 page document here:
http://www.wipo.int/meetings/en/doc_details.jsp?doc_id=109212

Jukka Liedes explains the last 10 years of failed negotiations and
conclude that there are 2 options left now.

Option A: delegations continue with SCCR/15/2 rev...with an
understanding "that a new treaty might be established by a clear
majority" (p.11).  That is new and scary.

or  option B:  a "new model"  'limited' for now on retransmission and
fixation until "other acts that might be agreed on" should be discussed.

In para 48, the last one, he makes it clear that to "end these
discussions" is somewhat possible but will require "an express
decision" with a "timetable for later revisiting and reconsidering the
matter."  Actually then, there's no option to really end the casters
treaty, right?

Well, let's hope that there will be more work on limitations and
exceptions and more attention to Kenneth Crews excellent and useful
study on limitations and exceptions for libraries and archives.  Find
also over 300 pages of raw legal data here: /www.wipo.int/meetings/en/doc_details.jsp?doc_id=109192

And of course, let's hope that the committee gets seriously involved
and works on the World Blind Union proposed treaty for the blind, the
visually impaired and print-disabled persons.  It's really overdue and
there is no other option for this committee if it wants to stay
relevant and useful.



***************************************************************************
Manon Ress
manon.ress@keionline.org
Knowledge Ecology International
1621 Connecticut Ave, NW, Washington, DC 20009 USA
Tel.:  +1.202.332.2670, Fax: +1.202.332.2673