By Pedro Paranagua

Heavy weight US companies signed a document at the WIPO against the Broadcasting Treaty.

Some heavy weight US companies strongly rejected the WIPO Broadcasting Treaty, arguing that if a Diplomatic Conference occurs to settle a treaty by the end of 2007, as until this now – proposed here at the General Assembly of the WIPO, in Geneva, the content of such shouldn’t include the protection for broadcasted content, nonetheless webcasting (broadcasting via Internet), but only the protection against signal theft.

This is the position of many developing countries, such as South Africa, Chile, Brazil, etc…

On the 25th of September, WIPO General Assemblies has begun, an event of the highest scale on WIPO´s hierarchy.

The way things are going on here is very different from the Development Agenda’s gatherings. The sumptuous plenary is completely packed with more than 300 members of delegations, many of them in chairs and even tables arranged provisorly. In the main room, there’s no space for any NGO, which have to stay in the room B, on the side, and watch the debates through simultaneously transmission on a wide screen with images of the main room.

 

Gilberto Gil, an internationally acclaimed musician and songwriter since the 1960s, is Brazil's Minister of Culture. Educated in his native state of Bahia, Gil has lived and travelled extensively abroad and speaks four languages fluently. He reflects the Brazilian government's position of caution about the rapid rise of intellectual property rights policy and protection globally, and has released some of his music under a Creative Commons license. Gil is leading the Brazilian delegation to the 25 September to 3 October World Intellectual Property Organization General Assembly, where the agenda includes a proposal to negotiate a broadcasters' rights treaty and a decision on continuing debate about a WIPO development agenda.  

 

Right below, highlights of the general statement by the Republic of South Africa at the WIPO General Assemblies.

 

"The 15th Session of the Standing Committee on Copyrights and Related Rights agreed on a recommendation to convene a Diplomatic Conference on SCCR's Draft Basic Proposals. The exclusion of simulcasting and web casting from the draft basic proposal as was agreed in the 14th Session of the SCCR, should be maintained as a condition for proceeding to a Diplomatic Conference. We believe that the holding of a diplomatic conference in the absence of consensus on key substantive issues is clearly contentious and premature". 

 

 

Below, you can check out Gilbeto Gil´s speach in Geneva on the first day of The WIPO General Assembly.

 

42nd Series of the Assemblies of the Member States of WIPO

(September 25th to October 3rd, 2006)

 General Statement by the Head of the Delegation of Brazil