QUT News, 22 February 2024 22nd February 2024 The role of intellectual property rights in technology transfer to developing countries and least developed countries to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is a major theme of a new international…
[PIJIP] This month, PIJIP Senior Research Analyst Andrés Izquierdo attended the World Intellectual Property (WIPO) General Assembly on behalf of the Global Network on Copyright User Rights. The General Assembly serves as the highest governing body of WIPO, bringing together representatives from all 193 member states. With over 1200 delegates in attendance this year, the assembly provided a crucial platform for member states to engage in discussions and decision-making regarding significant intellectual property policy matters.
[Andrés Izquierdo] On behalf of WCL PIJIP and the Global Network on Copyright User Rights, Andrés Izquierdo attended a meeting organized by Daren Tang, Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organization – WIPO. The meeting had the participation of more than 40 accredited NGOs and industry stakeholder groups. This meeting served to highlight the pivotal role played by NGOs in the Organization’s work. To the meeting also attended KEI, IFLA, and Innovarte.
[Andrés Izquierdo] The Group of Latin American and Caribbean Countries (GRULAC), delivered a statement supporting initiatives and proposals aimed at expanding and facilitating education, research, and the preservation of cultural heritage in developing countries. GRULAC also advocated for the implementation of WIPO’s Development Agenda (DA) recommendations and the fulfillment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) established by the United Nations. The statement was delivered by the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela delegation speaking on behalf of GRULAC during the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) General Assembly 2023.
[Andrés Izquierdo] On July 6, 2023, Germán Umaña Mendoza, the Colombian Minister of Commerce, Industry, and Tourism, delivered a compelling opening statement on behalf of Colombia during the General Assembly of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). In his address, Minister Umaña advocated for the establishment of multilateral regulations that would incorporate flexible copyright provisions, enabling enhanced access to education and technological advancements. He also emphasized the need to safeguard cultural expressions and ensure accessibility to digital economies, with the aim of achieving a harmonious equilibrium between sustainable development, trade, intellectual property, investment, and services. Minister Umaña's is a significant call to action, urging stakeholders to advance a balance in IP rights.
[Electronic Information for Libraries] At WIPO’s Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR/43) that took place in April 2023, delegations were invited to send written comments on the latest version of the draft treaty for the protection of broadcasting organizations presented at the meeting (Second Revised Draft Text for the WIPO Broadcasting Organizations Treaty, document SCCR/43/3). While the text presented at SCCR contained improvements that were welcome e.g. the section on limitations and exceptions (L&Es) was expanded to include uses for teaching and research, as well as preservation of the programme material carried by the signal, the changes don’t go far enough.
[Andrés Izquierdo] On May 25th, the 35th Program and Budget Committee (P&B) of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) adopted new language concerning copyright limitations and exceptions (L&E) for the copyright sector at WIPO. Initially put forward by Colombia, this proposal received strong support from the African Group, leading to its adoption.
[Carolina Botero] Keeping track of the budgets of entities is boring, but it is key because it defines what is funded and what is not. Last week the Member countries of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) held the first of two meetings to approve the budget that will now include work on exceptions and limitations.
[Teresa Nobre] As the summer approaches, we are taking stock of the latest developments in copyright policy debates. The scene-stealer “Generative AI” is prompting a copyright comeback in the EU bubble, forcing everyone to take a position (including us). Yet the conversations that deserve the attention of copyright experts in the months to come are not limited to ChatGPT and its peers, or even to Brussels for that matter. Just when our hopes were fading, international copyright policy-making is back in action in Geneva, and the next chapter of the discussions looks promising!
[Electronic Information for Libraries] EIFL and the international library, archives and museum communities have called on WIPO to finalize the new Toolkit on Preservation (document SCCR/43/4) without making any further changes to the text. The call was made in response to an invitation to delegations at WIPO’s Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR/43) to provide written comments on the Toolkit.
[Shweta Mohandas] Day 1: Member states delivered opening statements and deliberated on the progress, substantive provisions, and method of work on the draft broadcasting treaty text. This blog post summarises positions and contentions that supported: 1)The need for balance between rights of broadcasters and that of users and researchers 2) Questions around fixation and signal piracy 3) Need for consensus and towards a diplomatic conference.
[Andrés Izquierdo] On April 28th, 2023, the World Intellectual Property Organization's Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP) approved a pilot project on Text and Data Mining (TDM) to support research and innovation in universities and other research-oriented institutions in Africa. PIJIP has been participating as an observer on this Committee since 2022... The pilot project will begin by mapping the current treaty implementation, legal framework, and licensing schemes, as well as existing materials such as studies and toolkits in the region, to assess the use of TDM in research, particularly by universities and research-oriented institutions. In the second step, the project will collaborate with three pilot universities in Africa, along with input from other regional stakeholders, to develop case studies on the application of TDM in research, using the information and experiences gathered during the mapping process.