These are the final conclusions of SCCR 18.
World Intellectual Property Organization
SCCR Eighteenth Session
Geneva, May 25 to 29, 2009
CONCLUSIONS OF THE SCCR
prepared by the Chair
Limitations and exceptions
Congratulations on your record setting re-election as chairman of the SCCR, and for your excellent guidance this week.
With regard to the draft questionnaire, KEI suggests it be expanded to address exceptions found in Article 44 of the TRIPS, regarding alternatives to injunctions.
KEI supports the proposal by Brazil, Ecuador and Paraguay for a treaty for reading disabled persons, which is correctly inclusive in terms of disabilities covered.
Several people are reporting from the WIPO SCCR 18 meeting on Twitter. Some but not all use a hash tag #sccr18, for those familiar with the twitter search system. Below are the 60 tweets I posted so far.
2009 Proposal by Brazil, Ecuador and Paraguay, Relating to Limitations and Exceptions: Treaty Proposed by the World Blind Union On May 25, 2009, Brazil, Ecuador and Paraguay (BEP) submitted a formal proposal at the WIPO SCCR 18, asking that the… Continue Reading
The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) divides its norm setting work among several committees. The 17th meeting of the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) met last week, and considered several topics, including the first in-depth effort to consider a work program on limitations and exceptions for copyright. This work program, first proposed formally by Chile (SCCR/13/5) among WIPO member states, is a work in progress. Continue Reading
Two quick points about the WIPO press release for SCCR 17:
1. The press release does not mention the term “trans-border” (a reference to export and import), even though this was referred to in the context of L&E for distance education in the SCCR conclusions. Clearly the EU opposition to the New Zealand text on “application to the international exchange of materials in accessible formats” made an impression on the WIPO Secretariat.
Below is the final agreed upon text for the SCCR 17 on the issue of access for persons with reading disabilities. There are four sentences, in one paragraph.
WIPO has just released at 8:50 am, “draft conclusions of the SCCR.”
The section on limitations and exceptions was good in some areas, for example, when the committee “stressed the importance of the forthcoming study on exceptions and limitations for the benefit of educational activities, including distance education and the trans-border aspect therof, and that it should include developing and least developed countries.”
This morning at the WIPO SCCR 17, the International Federation of Reproduction Rights Organizations (IFRRO) has passed out a statement on the promotion of accessible reading materials for the blind in a trusted environment. The European Commission has pushed this hard in their morning intervention.
Basically, IFRRO is seeking to stop consideration of the WBU proposal for a treaty. They want to WIPO to “launch a platform of stakeholder consultations to develop a roadmap for ensuring access for the blind and visually impaired.”
These are the notes I used for my oral presentation today at the WIPO SCCR 17 discussion on copyright limitations and exceptions. Jamie
KEI supports the proposal by Brazil, Chile, Nicaragua and Uruguay for a SCCR work program on L&E, including information gathering, analysis and norm setting.
KEI supports the proposal for a survey on L&E.
In terms of studies, KEI agrees with CI that WIPO should undertake studies related to distance education and innovative services to complete the other WIPO studies.