[Ecommerce] Mark your calendar and register early for conference on globalization and diversity

[Manon Ress]

Dear colleagues,

Sorry for crossposting this annoucement but IP policies are showing up
everywhere nowdays.

There will be an interesting (and free but you have to register BEFORE
Dec 20) conference on the UNESCO draft convention on the protection of
the diversity of cultural contents and artistics expressions (and yes,
now the US is back at UNESCO, you may have to check it out ;)

You may recall that CPTech expressed concerns about elements of the
draft (September 04) which written after consultation with WTO and WIPO,
includes statement such as the necessity to  "strengthen measures
against piracy (p.6) or "under existing international instrument
relating to intellectual property rights" (p.10).  We signed on to the
CRIS+ position on the UNESCO draft text. There  are now about 250
organizations and individuals who signed on to the statement. The
updated list of signatories is here:
http://www.mediatrademonitor.org/cris-sigs.php
There are concrete proposals about how to make the draft works.

Well, for some US people this might be the only chance to discuss the
convention.  So come prepare on January 10-11, 2005  at "Globalization
and Diversity, UNESCO and Cultural Policy-Making:  Imperatives for U.S.
Arts and Culture Practitioners and Oganizations" at the: Smithsonian
Institution Ripley Center Lecture Hall

I am told it will be a dialogue and that public interest views will be
welcome.  Participants are encouraged to come up with recommendations on
how to improve the convention...

FYI: a few important dates for the 2005 UNESCO convention (fast) process

January 10-11:
Meeting in Washington, DC between US UNESCO ambassador, academics, NGOs,
and recording industry, MPA, etc regarding the UNESCO convention.

January 25-30:
WSF, Porto Alegre

January 31-February 15:
UNESCO intergovernmental, Paris.

October 2005:
UNESCO General Conference
Target date for convention on cultural diversity.


See you there,

Manon

More details for DC January 10--11, 2005 at:

http://www.folklife.si.edu/explore/Education/unesco_convention.html

January 10 - 11, 2005: "Globalization and Diversity, UNESCO and Cultural
Policy-Making:  Imperatives for U.S. Arts and Culture Practitioners and
Oganizations" at the: Smithsonian Institution Ripley Center Lecture Hall

Registrations are due by December 20, 2004!

The conference, will serve as a forum for discussion and active
participation of U.S. artists, cultural workers, and arts and culture
organizations in national and international dialogue. Please see
tentative agenda.

Conferees are requested to review the draft-text from UNESCO and attend
the conference prepared to discuss how the draft text might affect your
arenas of arts and culture.  Attendees are also encouraged to make
recommendations for follow-up activities that will stimulate engagement
among local, regional, and international colleagues as well as inform
and influence official U.S. UNESCO positions about policies for the
protection of cultural diversity.

To participate in the conference, please  download the registration
form, print, complete and fax to Tasha Coleman: 202.275.1119.

For additional information about the conference, contact Tasha Coleman
via email: colemant@si.edu

James Early, Director of Cultural Heritage Policy

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
You will find the pre-meeting First Draft of convention here:
http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php-URL_ID=21972&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html



--
Manon Anne Ress
manon.ress@cptech.org,
www.cptech.org

Consumer Project on Technology in Washington, DC
PO Box 19367, Washington, DC 20036, USA
Tel.:  1.202.387.8030, fax: 1.202.234.5176

Consumer Project on Technology in Geneva
1 Route des  Morillons, CP 2100, 1211 Geneva 2, Switzerland
Tel: +41 22 791 6727