WIPO copyright committee gets off to a flying start

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) began its 24th session today in Geneva and will run from 16th to 25th July 2012. The new Chair of the Committee is Ambassador Darlington Mwape (Zambia). Agenda items at SCCR/24 include a special focus on limitations and exceptions for educational and research institutions and persons with other disabilities, as well as limitations and exceptions for libraries and archives, and blind and visually impaired people, and protection of broadcasting organizations.

A team of librarians and archivists, including EIFL, will be present throughout the session to highlight the position of libraries and archives in our interventions, provide support to Member States and work with civil society NGOs to advance the interests of libraries in the Committee.

Member States got down to business with proposals on limitations and exceptions for educational and research institutions from Ecuador, Peru and Uruguay, and from Brazil.

EIFL joined an opening statement with the International Federation of Libraries and Information Associations (IFLA) and the Canadian Library Association and made an intervention on limitations and exceptions for educational and research institutions.

The Committee is expected to discuss education until at least Wednesday morning; limitations and exceptions for blind and visually impaired people on Thursday afternoon and all day Friday; broadcasting on Wednesday afternoon, all day Monday and Tuesday afternoon, and libraries and archives on Tuesday and Wednesday morning (subject to change).

Watch the live webcast (when the Committee is in session).

Read the live streamtext (when the Committee is in session). Password: SCCR24