[A2k] WIPO DG Francis Gurry highlights disability as a theme for Conference on Intellectual Property and Global Challenges

[Thiru Balasubramaniam]

http://www.keionline.org/blogs/2009/03/24/wipo-global-challenges-conference=
-disability/

WIPO DG Francis Gurry highlights disability as a theme for Conference
on Intellectual Property and Global Challenges
By thiru, on March 24th, 2009

As mentioned in James Love=92s blog today entitled Notes from Day One of
WIPO SCP 13, the WIPO Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (SCP)
is examining four key issues at its Thirteenth Session this week
including Standards and Patents, Exclusions from Patentable Subject
Matter and Exceptions and Limitations to the Rights, The Client-
Attorney Privilege and Dissemination of Patent Information.

The fact that the WIPO=92s technical patent committee with norm-setting
functions is providing a detailed treatment of limitations and
exceptions augurs well for a positive agenda at WIPO.

Yesterday, Sri Lanka, on behalf of the Asian Group, requested the SCP
to hold a discussion of the WIPO Conference on Intellectual Property
and Global Challenges (13-14 July 14, 2009) so that Member States
could provide inputs on the themes, structure and speakers for the
Conference. For background, it should be noted that the conclusions of
the previous session of the SCCR, suggested that the Director General
=93consider including in the revised Program and Budget for 2009,
provision for a Conference on issues relating to the implications,
including public implications, of patents on certain areas of public
policy, such as health, the environment, climate change or food
security=94.

Yesterday, the WIPO Director General Francis Gurry explained to the
SCP why he added disability as a topic for consideration at the Global
Conference. In his introductory remarks, Mr. Gurry noted that the goal
of the Global Conference was to =93strengthen WIPO=92s role in the
interface of intellectual property and other areas of public policy=94
where questions of =93intellectual property have been made manifest=94
such as public health, climate change, food security and the
environment. He acknowledged that in the past, WIPO was not active as
it could have been on issues relating to public interest
considerations. The Global Conference was intended to demonstrate that
=93WIPO was open for business=94 in the context of responding to global
challenges.

Director General Gurry stated that he added disability as a theme to
be discussed at the Global Conference. He noted the item had arisen in
the context of the WIPO Standing Committee on Copyright and Related
Rights (SCCR). He noted that there were important technological
dimensions to solutions to increase and enable access for the =93blind
and the visually impaired=94 to protected works. Gurry reiterated that
enabling access for the =93blind and visually impaired=94 to protected
works contained an important development challenge as =9395% of visually
impaired persons live in the developing world=94.

As the Global Conference (13-14 July 2009) follows upon the heels of
the WIPO copyright committee (25-29 May 2009), we will know by then
whether WIPO=92s membership is courageous enough to consider the World
Blind Union proposal for a WIPO Treaty for Blind, Visually Impaired
and other Reading Disabled Persons at the WIPO SCCR. This Treaty,
tabled by the WBU in November 2008, provides an expeditious solution
to the problems faced by the blind, visually impaired and other
reading disabled persons in accessing protected works. The litmus test
of WIPO Member States=92 commitment to truly integrate the development
dimension into WIPO=92s work program rests in its treatment of the WIPO
Treaty for Blind, Visually Impaired and other Reading Disabled Persons.

March 24th, 2009 | Tags: abled, climate change, disability,
environment, food security, Gurry, public health, VIPs, WBU Treaty,
wipo | Category: Access to knowledge, Medical technologies, Reading
Disabled | Leave a comment

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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