[Ecommerce] Library letter to US Congress on WIPO Broadcast Treaty

[Manon Ress]

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[ Picked text/plain from multipart/alternative ]

From: James Love <james.love@cptech.org>
Date: October 19, 2005 7:36:41 PM EDT


This is one of several letters the US based Library Copyright
Alliance sent to the US Congress asking for Congressional hearings on
the proposed WIPO treaty for broadcasting organizations.
(www.LibraryCopyrightAlliance.org)


October 18, 2005

The Honorable Orrin Hatch, Chairman
Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property
Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room SD-224
Washington, D.C., 20510-6275

Re: WIPO Broadcast Treaty

Dear Chairman Hatch:

For several years, the Patent and Trademark Office and the Copyright
Office have been participating in discussions at the World
Intellectual Property Organization concerning a proposed Treaty on
the Protection of Broadcasting Organizations.  The WIPO General
Assembly recently decided to attempt to convene a diplomatic
conference to finalize the Broadcast Treaty in late 2006 or early
2007.  We write to request that you hold hearings concerning the
negotiating position of the U.S. government with respect to the
Broadcast Treaty.

The 1961 Rome Convention provides broadcasting organizations with the
exclusive right to prohibit the rebroadcasting, the fixation, or the
reproduction of their broadcasts for a 20 year period.  The proposed
Broadcast Treaty would extend the term to 50 years.  Given that the
United States never joined the Rome Convention, and U.S. broadcasters
have not suffered as a result, we fail to see any justification for
the United States to participate in the negotiation of a treaty that
would provide 50 years of protection to broadcasters.  We urge that
your subcommittee hold hearings to evaluate whether a new treaty is
necessary, what changes to U.S. law would be needed to implement such
a treaty, and what are the likely adverse consequences from
implementing legislation.

Congressional oversight of U.S. government position in the Broadcast
Treaty is essential to prevent Congress from being presented a fait
accompli by the U.S. delegation.  Balanced hearings at the earliest
possible date are a critical form of such oversight.

Respectfully,



Douglas W. Newcomb
Director, Public Policy , Special Libraries Association

On behalf of the Library Copyright Alliance: the American Association
of Law Libraries, American Library Association, Association of
Research Libraries, Medical Library Association, and the Special
Libraries Association (contact information for each association is
attached).

CC: The Honorable Patrick Leahy, Ranking Member

The American Association of Law Libraries (AALL) is a nonprofit
educational organization with over 5,000 members nationwide. AALL's
mission is to promote and enhance the value of law libraries to the
legal and public communities, to foster the profession of law
librarianship, and to provide leadership in the field of legal
information and information policy. http://www.aall.org/
Contact: Mary Alice Baish (202-662-9200)

The American Library Association (ALA) is a nonprofit educational
organization of over 65,000 librarians, library trustees, and other
friends of libraries dedicated to improving library services and
promoting the public interest in a free and open information society.
http://www.ala.org/
Contact: Miriam Nisbet (202-628-8410)

The Association of Research Libraries (ARL) is a nonprofit
organization of 123 research libraries in North America. ARL=92s
members include university libraries, public libraries, government
and national libraries. Its mission is to shape and influence forces
affecting the future of research libraries in the process of
scholarly communication. ARL programs and services promote equitable
access to and effective uses of recorded knowledge in support of
teaching, research, scholarship and community service. http://
www.arl.org/
Contact: Prue Adler (202-296-2296)

The Medical Library Association (MLA), a nonprofit, educational
organization, is a leading advocate for health sciences information
professionals with more than 4,700 members worldwide. Through its
programs and services, MLA provides lifelong educational
opportunities, supports a knowledgebase of health information
research, and works with a global network of partners to promote the
importance of quality information for improved health to the health
care community and the public. http://www.mlanet.org/
Contact: Carla Funk (312-419-9094 x.14)

The Special Libraries Association (SLA) is a nonprofit global
organization for innovative information professionals and their
strategic partners. SLA serves more than 12,000 members in 83
countries in the information profession, including corporate,
academic and government information specialists. SLA promotes and
strengthens its members through learning, advocacy and networking
initiatives. http://www.sla.org/
Contact: Doug Newcomb (703-647-4923)


---------------------------------
James Love, CPTech / www.cptech.org / mailto:james.love@cptech.org /
tel. +1.202.332.2670 / mobile +1.202.361.3040



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

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