Author: R.M. Prance

In some previous posts regarding the dealings of WIPO’s standing committee on copyright and related rights readers may have noticed the mention of the resurgence of discussion related to a a treaty for the protection of broadcasting organizations.  The proposed treaty, the first major overhaul to the global copyright system as it pertains to broadcasts since the Rome convention, has come under serious criticism from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Creative Commons, and the American Library Association, among others, primarily because of its “signal-based” approach to copyright.  While the need to update and amend copyright laws for the 21^st century, particularly in regards to Internet technologies, may seem perfectly logical, the amendments being made are anything but.

So what exactly does a signal-based approach entail?

WIPO has stated that this signal-based approach shall attempt to answer key questions pertaining to the copyright of broadcast signals, particularly as it relates to the ever expanding reach of various Internet technologies and their transmissions. Broadcasters have been especially adamant that an approach  similar to that used in other WIPO Internet treaties be pursued, which outlaw the breaking or circumvention of digital locks and the right for broadcaster’s to be able to encrypt  such broadcasts.

While many will cite the unwavering pace of Moore’s law, and perhaps that of technology in general, as the direct reason for these amendments being “necessary,” it is also necessary that the way such amendments are drafted and implemented be heavily scrutinized.  This being said, it must be noted that, if the SCCR were to pass this treaty, broadcasters would have an additional copyright over the signals that they transmit, including previously copyrighted content.  This would also potentially make permissive forms of copyright, such as creative commons, non-applicable.  Although much progress has yet to be made on this treaty, members of the SCCR have called for renewed negotiations regarding the treaty. After numerous complaints from broadcasting organizations, particular sports broadcasters such as the NFL (who are no stranger to quashing public access to public events), and calls from members of the committee who cited the lack of consensus on the treaty despite its place on the agenda for nearly twelve years, it would appear that the treaty for the protection of broadcasting organizations will be a major point of discussion at the current and eventually upcoming  sessions of the SCCR.In some previous posts regarding the dealings of WIPO’s standing committee on copyright and related rights readers may have noticed the mention of the resurgence of discussion related to a a treaty for the protection of broadcasting organizations.  The proposed treaty, the first major overhaul to the global copyright system as it pertains to broadcasts since the Rome convention, has come under serious criticism from the Electronic Frontier Foundation, the Creative Commons, and the American Library Association, among others, primarily because of its “signal-based” approach to copyright.  While the need to update and amend copyright laws for the 21^st century, particularly in regards to Internet technologies, may seem perfectly logical, the amendments being made are anything but.

Although our last post regarding the agenda for the 26th session of the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) provided a broad overview of the issues to be discussed at this December’s session, we decided that in order to provide more in depth coverage regarding the texts that are on the agenda, a small blog post summarizing these provisional documents would help to put these documents under further scrutiny.

Continue reading “Three Important Documents to be Discussed at the 26th Session of the SCCR”

Currently, when looking at the agenda for the 26^th session of the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) one can see three items of importance that are to be discussed this December 16^th to the 20^th .  These are: the protection of broadcasting organizations, limitations and exceptions for libraries and archives, and limitations and exceptions for educational and research institutions and for persons with other disabilities.  If all three of these sound familiar, it is because they were also on the agenda for the 25^th session of the SCCR and  whether they will still  remain on the agenda for the 27th session will remain to be seen. However, until then, here is a brief summary of each item.

Continue reading “What’s on the Agenda at the 26th Session of the SCCR”

As September closes and October fast approaches, so too does the date for the next session of the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR).  Although the 26^th session is not going to be held until December 16^th to 20^th of this year, many member states have reportedly already begun preparing for the meeting.  As such, in preparation for this important event, we have worked to create an account of what happened at the previous session of the SCCR in order to better prepare readers of what is going to be discussed in Geneva this December.

Continue reading “What Happened at the 25th Session of the SCCR?”