Day May 29, 2018

Statement on Limitations and Exceptions for WIPO Broadcast Treaty

Thank you chair. I want to speak quickly to the issue of limitations and exceptions for the Broadcast treaty should one proceed. We should not be using a 20 year old model that ignores the many advancements in this area. With all due respect, both the chair’s text and the proposal by Argentina and Brazil at the last round are unduly limited. They do not include mandatory exceptions from other agreements, including Berne and Marrakesh. Nor do they consider the needs of libraries, archives, museums or for education or research activities currently in discussion in this committee. Nor do they include the best examples of provisions protecting domestic policy space.

Joint NGO Letter on the Proposed WIPO Treaty on Broadcasting

[Letter signed by 14 NGOs] We are concerned that negotiations on a broadcasting treaty have not clarified a number of important issues, nor addressed core concerns from civil society and copyright holders. At the outset, we are supportive of measures to address the legitimate concerns of broadcasters as regards piracy of broadcast signals. We are looking forward to seeing appropriate measures to address such challenges, provided they are well defined and limited to solving those problems, and avoid unintended consequences to impede access to and use of works, or harm copyright holders. Our primary concerns are the following: