WIPO Broadcasting Treaty negotiations commence

The WIPO Standing Committee on Copyright (SCCR), the WIPO body overseeing the negotiations on the broadcasting treaty began at 12:04 PM. The reason for its late start was because the African Group had consultations in the morning.

Jukka Liedes, Director, Division of Culture and Media Policy, Ministry of Education and Culture from Finland was elected Chair of the SCCR. It appears quite clear that Mr. Liedes wants to conduct the SCCR negotiations in the same manner as the PCDA was cooked last week, in an informal, non-transparent, green room process. The Asian Group (Bangladesh, coordinator) and the African Group (Algeria, coordinator) have made it quite clear that this approach is not something they support.

Bangladesh, on behalf of the Asian Group, noted the following.

Document SCCR15/2 Rev (Revised Draft Basic Proposal) is the basic negotiation document. We should be guided by the General Assembly decision which states that the broadcasting treaty instrument:
a) should be signal based,
b)restricted to traditional modes of broadcasting (i.e. no webcasting and simulcasting),
c)it does not affect the rights of the rightholders of the content,
d)it does not impede the free flow of and access of information including through TPMs and public policy between Member States and
e)achieves a fair balance between all sectors.

China expressed its disappointment that it was not invited to Chair Liedes’ breakfast meeting with the Regional Coordinators (China is one of the 7 WIPO “regions”).

Three NGOs were accredited to the SCCR including KEI. The two other NGOs that received accreditation included the Sports Coalition that represents the Canadian Football League; the Ladies Professional Golf Association; Major League Baseball; Major League Baseball Advanced Media, Inc.; the National Basketball Association; The National Collegiate Athletic Association; the National Football League; NFL Europa; the National Hockey League; the PGA TOUR, Inc.; the Professional Golfers’ Association of America; the United States Tennis Association; and the Women’s National Basketball Association and

and the Sports Rights Owners Coalition (SROC) which includes: International Cricket Council, the International Tennis Federation, the International Olympic Committee, Formula One, the International Rugby Board, FIFA, 6 Nations Rugby, European Professional Football Leagues, IAAF Athletics, the International Federation of Horseracing Authorities, the Ryder Cup, the PGA Tour Australasia, UEFA, World Marathon Majors and World Snooker. Some of the national sports rights owners belonging to SROC are: the Tour de France, Féderation Française de Tennis, Cricket Australia, the German Bundesliga, the English Premier League, Tennis Australia and the Ligue de Football Professionel.

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