New Proposal At WIPO On Exceptions To Broadcasting Rights

While World Intellectual Property Organization delegates held informal closed consultations at the beginning of this week on a potential treaty protecting rights of broadcasting organisations from signal theft and piracy, a group of Latin American countries has proposed language on limitations and exceptions to these rights.

Argentina, Brazil, and Chile submitted on 15 November a new proposal [pdf] “to advance discussions” on limitations and exceptions to the protection that would be granted to broadcasting or cablecasting organisations by a potential treaty.

The document says it follows the same kinds of limitations and exceptions as countries already provide in their national legislation in the context of copyright in literary and artistic works, and the protection of related rights.

It also lists a number of exceptions, such as: private use; use of short excerpts in connection with the reporting of current events; use solely for the purposes of teaching or scientific research; the use to specifically allow access by persons with impaired sight or hearing, learning disabilities, or other special needs; and the use by libraries, archives or educational institutions, to make publicly accessible broadcast protected by any exclusive rights of the broadcasting organisation, for purposes of preservation, education and/or research.

The document also adds that such limitations and exceptions should not conflict with a normal exploitation of the programme-carrying signal and not unreasonably prejudice the legitimate interests of broadcasters and cablecasters.

The 35th session of the WIPO Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) is taking place from 13-17 November. According to several sources, the SCCR chair should release a document as a result of the closed discussions of the broadcasting treaty, tomorrow (17 November).

Image Credits: Flickr – Alex