In the run up to WIPO’s Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights meeting from December 14 to December 18, 2009 (SCCR 19), there is a spate of activity in Europe, Egypt, India and the United States related to the right to read, a treaty for reading disabled persons, orphan works, limitations and exceptions to copyright and norm setting.
The European Parliament is holding a workshop on November 10, 2009 entitled “Copyright: Tackling Orphan Works and Improving Access to Works for Visually Impaired Persons”. A cursory glance of the program indicates that this workshop will feed into the EU policy making process in preparation for SCCR 19. The Swedish government which holds the Presidency of the European Union and the functionaries from the European Commission are featured extensively in this workshop.
Some key figures participating in this workshop include: Tilman Lueder (European Commission), Tarja Koskinen-Olsson, International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations (IFFRO), Antoine Aubert (Google), Mihaly Ficsor (Hungarian Patent Office), Francis Gurry (World Intellectual Property Organisation), Christopher Friend (World Blind Union (WBU) and Francisco Martinez Calvo, Spanish National Organization of the Blind (ONCE).
Policy Department C – Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs
Committee on Legal Affairs
Presidency of the Council of the European Union
WORKSHOP ON COPYRIGHT: TACKLING ORPHAN WORKS AND IMPROVING ACCESS TO WORKS FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED PERSONS
Tuesday, 10 November 2009
11:00 – 11:30 and 15:00 – 18:30
Brussels
Room: ASP A3G-3
Draft Programme
11:00 – 11:30
PRESS CONFERENCE
- Magnus G. Graner, State Secretary, Swedish Ministry of Justice
- Magnus G. Graner, State Secretary, Swedish Ministry of Justice
- Klaus-Heiner Lehne, Chairman of the Committee on Legal Affairs, European Parliament
- Karin Pilsäter, Chairman of the Swedish Parliament Committee on Industry and Trade
- Margot Fröhlinger, Director of Directorate ‘Knowledge-based economy’, Internal Market and Services Directorate-General, European Commission (to be confirmed)
13:00 – 14:30
LUNCH
invitation ONLY
15:00 – 15:15
OPENING
15:00 – 15:15 Opening remarks
- Klaus-Heiner Lehne, Chairman of the Committee on Legal Affairs
- Magnus G. Graner, State Secretary, Swedish Ministry of Justice
15:15 – 17:00
Session i
ORPHAN WORKS IN THE DIGITAL WORLD
15:15 – 15:30 The work of the European Commission on Orphan Works
- Tilman Lueder, Head of unit ‘Copyright and Knowledge-based Economy’, Internal Market and Services Directorate-General, European Commission
- Elisabeth Niggemann, Representative of Europeana, Director General of the German National Library (Deutsche Nationalbibliothek), Member of the High Level Expert Group on European Digital Libraries (HLG)
- Tarja Koskinen-Olsson, Honorary President of the International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organisations (IFFRO), Member of HLG
- Antoine Aubert, European Copyright Policy Counsel, Google
- Jean-François Debarnot, Legal Director, ‘Institut National de l’Audiovisuel’ (INA), France
- Pirjo Hiidenmaa, President of the European Writers’Congress (EWC)
- Mihaly Ficsor, Vice- President of the Hungarian Patent Office
15:30 – 16:30 How to deal with Orphan Works in the digital world?
16:30 – 17:00 Debate with the participation of Magnus G. Graner, State Secretary, Swedish Ministry of Justice, moderated by Klaus-Heiner Lehne, Chairman of the Committee on Legal Affairs
17:00 – 18:30
Session II
IMPROVING ACCESS TO WORKS FOR VISUALLY IMPAIRED PERSONS
17:00 – 17:10 The work of the European Commission on improving access for Visually Impaired Persons
- Tilman Lueder, Head of unit ‘Copyright and Knowledge-based Economy’, Internal Market and Services Directorate-General, European Commission
17:10 – 17:25 The international dimension: the work of the World Intellectual Property Organisation on improved access for visually impaired persons
17:25 – 17:55 Improving access to works for visually impaired persons
- Christopher Friend, Strategic Objective Leader – Accessibility, World Blind Union (WBU), Chair WBU Global Right to Read Campaign
- Francisco Martinez Calvo, Technical Advisor Section of Culture and Sports for the Blind, Spanish National Organization of the Blind (ONCE), Board Member of Daisy Consortium
- Anne Bergman-Tahon, Director of the Federation of European Publishers
17:55 – 18:25 Debate with the participation of Magnus G. Graner, State Secretary, Swedish Ministry of Justice, moderated by Karin Pilsäter, Chairman of the Swedish Parliament Committee on Industry and Trade
18:25 – 18:30 Closing remarks
- Klaus-Heiner Lehne, Chairman of the Committee on Legal Affairs