Negotiations

SCCR29: Opening statement of the Asia and the Pacific Group on limitations and exceptions for libraries and archives

Posted on by Thiru

On Thursday afternoon, 11 December 2014, Bangladesh delivered the following powerful intervention on behalf of the Asia and the Pacific Group on limitations and exceptions for libraries and archives. This group includes nations such as Bangladesh, Iran, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Singapore, South Korea and Thailand. The Asia and Pacific Group stressed that copyright limitations and exceptions were assured to developing countries and LDCs to ensure a more balanced and efficient international copyright system anchored in Article 7 of the WTO TRIPS Agreement,

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SCCR 29 Libraries, Archives and Public Interest NGOs in Q&A with Dr. Crews

Posted on by Manon Ress

While the many publishers representatives took the floor to explain that there are truly no problems with limitations and exceptions for libraries and archives (and anyway according to them if there are problems that can be solved with licenses), libraries & archives as well as public interest groups make their case: the committee must continue its work on limitations and exceptions for libraries and archives and find solutions.. Here are excerpts from some of the interventions:

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SCCR 29 KEI’s questions on the 3 step test, Berne Revisions & News snippets and Dr. Crews answers

Posted on by Manon Ress

Following Professor Crews’ presentation of his updated report on limitations and exceptions (L&E) for libraries and archives, today more member states, IGOs and NGOs engaged again in an interesting Q&A. After years in this committee, I have rarely witnessed such enthusiasm and interest among all the SCCR participants about a report. Continue Reading →

SCCR 29 December 10, 2014 Morning Informal and Agenda for the Next item on the agenda

Posted on by Manon Ress

The SCCR 29 went again into informals this morning and NGOs can listen but not report on what is going on. As per the agenda, the broadcasting treaty is still the topic of discussion. While the US delegation was supporting making the charts describing the definitions, concepts and rights being discussed available to the public, there were other delegations (TBD) against it and the charts are thus still “secret”.

We are reconvening into plenary after the coffee break.

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SCCR 29: Statements by European broadcasters and push back by copyright owners (IFPI & FIAP)

Posted on by Manon Ress

SCCR29 At 3pm, the plenary reconvened and the NGOs made their statements regarding the rights, definitions and concepts of the proposed broadcasting treaty discussed during the informal with the help of charts.

On the public interest side we only had KEI, TACD, EFF and CIS. I will post these statements in another blog. Here are 3 statements that are good examples of what the arguments were for the broadcasters (the European Broadcasting Union) followed by the push back by the IFFPI (representing the music industry) and finally the FIAP (film industry also pushing back).

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KEI intervention, SCCR 29, December 9, 2014

Posted on by James Love

Below is a cleaned up version of the transcript, from my rambling intervention for KEI on the broadcasting treaty definitions.

Thank you, Mr. Chairman. My comments would be initially on the definitions.

It is our position that it’s more appropriate to provide protection for free services that are traditionally provided by radio and television and less appropriate for pay services,

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SCCR 29 December 9, 2014: 3 secret broadcasting treaty charts ?

Posted on by Manon Ress

The December 9, 2014 SCCR morning session started with the Chair’s summary of yesterday informals. The delegates discussed 3 charts. The first chart called “a technological platforms chart” is supposed to clarify the scope of protection of the new instrument, the broadcasters’ treaty. The second chart is called “a rights chart”. And additionally, the Chair prepared a third chart which was called a definitions chart, which contained the definitions of broadcasting organization, broadcasting transmission and signal. Continue Reading →

SCCR 29 Morning Session: Is the Broadcasting Treaty crawling back?

Posted on by Manon Ress

The morning session of SCCR 29 (Dec 8-12, 2014) ended with a coffee break which will be followed by informals (that we are not allowed to report on at this point). After the usual decisions this morning i.e, Adoption of the agenda of the twenty ninth session then Accreditation of new non governmental organizations (and yes, the Program on Information Justice and Intellectual Property (PIJIP) is in!) we had the Adoption of the Report of the Twenty-Eighth Session of the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights. Continue Reading →