Geneva, Tuesday, 18 December.2012
At the end of the two day WIPO Extraordinary General Assembly, Member States today agreed “to negotiate and adopt a treaty on limitations and exceptions for visually impaired persons/persons with print disabilities.”
Here is a link to the WIPO press release: WIPO Advances Toward Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works by Persons with Print Disabilities, Morocco Offers to Host Diplomatic Conference Geneva, December 18, 2012,PR/2012/727
Here is the WBU press release:
——————–
WORLD BLIND UNION (WBU) press release 18 December 2012
Press Release – WIPO Negotiations Treaty for Blind people
WIPO member states call for treaty for blind people to be finished in 2013
On 3 December 2012, the 15th round of negotiations on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA) began in Auckland, Newe Zealand and included, for the first time, eleven negotiating parties with the additions of Canada and Mexico more than a year after these two countries formally asked to join the negotiations. The current negotiating parties now include Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States, and Vietnam. Rumored interested countries include Japan, Thailand and South Korea. Continue Reading
The United States proposal for the TPPA includes many demands that will increase intellectual property rights for rightholders. The leaked text reveals that the United States seeks to introduce numerous measures that go well beyond the requirements of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS), known as TRIPS-plus provisions. Some of the areas of concern include the provisions on intellectual property enforcement. Continue Reading
At WHO deliberations (26 November 2012 to 28 November 2012) on charting a path forward following the recommendations of the Consultative Expert Working Group on Research and Development: Financing and Coordination (CEWG), Bolivia, Colombia and Thailand reiterated their political commitment supporting a binding R&D treaty. Continue Reading
Update: (revised version here)
—————-
Yesterday they finished work on the definition of a work. Audiovisual works and related rights are out, ebooks and audio books are in.
US intervention at WIPO Committee on Development and Intellectual Property: Patent related flexibilities
This was the first intervention delivered by the United States of America during last week’s discussion at the 10th session of World Intellectual Property Organization’s Committee on Development and Intellectual Property on the item of patent related flexibilities.
US intervention #1 on CDIP/10/11• The United States would like to express its appreciation to the Secretariat for its preparation of the document CDIP/10/11. We have several comments on the patent-related flexibilities proposed to be studied at CDIP.
Distance education for blind people opposed by a White House responsive to MPAA
During the WIPO negotiations on disabilities, the White House has told U.S. Blind groups it will kill a WIPO treaty on copyright exceptions for persons who are blind or have other disabilities if the treaty covers audiovisual works, including those used in education, including distance teaching programs.
Obama v blind people, day one of SCCR 25 negotiations on WIPO copyright treaty for disabilities
start 
From left to right, USPTO Director David Kappos, President Obama, Pablo Lecuona of Tiflolibros and Melanie Brunson of the ACB WIPO Copyright Committee (SCCR 25) begins week of negotiations. Treaties for disabilities and broadcasting are focus
Maryanne Diamond and Chris Friend of the WBU listen to opening interventions at SCCR 25