On Wednesday, 11 May 2022, Knowledge Ecology International (KEI) delivered the following statement on a proposal by the African Group for a Draft work Program on Exceptions and Limitations.
Knowledge Ecology International supports the Proposal by the African Group for a Draft work Program on Exceptions and Limitations, document SCCR/42/4.
The proposal provides a thoughtful way forward on this important topic, something that is quite significant for development, in line with the priorities of the WIPO Development Agenda adopted in 2007.
KEI suggests that the Committee invite the WIPO Chief Economist to make a presentation to the SCCR on the economic value of copyright exceptions and their role in development.
In terms of work on norm setting as well as the implementation of exceptions, KEI asks that the Secretariat present to the SCCR a paper and presentation to the meeting on the experience of WIPO and UNESCO of developing model laws on copyright including, for example, the 1976 Tunis Model Law on Copyright for Developing Countries. In terms of the development of Model law, it will be interesting to review the modalities for the development of various model laws, including the role of member states in the negotiation on the texts and adoption of such model laws, and the extent to which model laws were actually used by governments in fashioning their own statutes.