[A2k] William Patry: Bravo United States

[Thiru Balasubramaniam]

http://moralpanicsandthecopyrightwars.blogspot.com/2009/12/bravo-united-states.html

Moral Panics and the Copyright Wars

A blog about copyright discourse


Tuesday, December 15, 2009

Bravo United States

Today, at the WIPO Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights
in Geneva, various statements were introduced by governments on a
proposed treaty for the visually impaired. In the interest of full
disclosure, my employer recently submitted to the U.S. Copyright
Office a statement in support of the treaty (See here). A number of
developing countries' positions were disappointing in their lack of
support of the proposed treaty. If those making statements in
opposition had available to them the minuscule amount the visually
impaired have, their views would be quite different. Theirs is a
failure both of compassion and a failure to recognize the positive
role of copyright in furthering access. Some apparently are willing to
sacrifice the neediest in order to hold on to more than they already
deserve. It is easy to find reasons not to do something; the mark of a
generous and compassionate soul is finding reasons to do something.

In this context, I applaud and we all should applaud the statement
submitted by United States (available here). The statement is the most
genuinely balanced and forward-looking U.S. government document on
copyright I have read since the days of the great Registers of
Copyrights, Abraham Kaminstein and Barbara Ringer. Kudos to Justin
Hughes, head of the U.S. delegation. I quote only the final paragraph,
but one should read it all:

We recognize that some in the international copyright community
believe that any international consensus on substantive limitations
and exceptions to copyright law would weaken international copyright
law. The United States does not share that point of view. The United
States is committed to both better exceptions in copyright law and
better enforcement of copyright law. Indeed, as we work with countries
to establish consensus on proper, basic exceptions within copyright
law, we will ask countries to work with us to improve the enforcement
of copyright. This is part and parcel of a balanced international
system of intellectual property.

Posted by William Patry at 8:46 PM

Labels: Visually impaired treaty, William Patry

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Thiru Balasubramaniam
Geneva Representative
Knowledge Ecology International (KEI)
thiru@keionline.org


Tel: +41 22 791 6727
Mobile: +41 76 508 0997