<div dir="ltr"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>From: <b class="gmail_sendername">Manon Ress</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:manon.ress@keionline.org">manon.ress@keionline.org</a>></span><br>
Date: Tue, Dec 3, 2013 at 2:25 PM<br>Subject: [A2k] Luisa Fernanda Guzmán Mejía: Development Agenda in WIPO, the turn for libraries and archives<br>To: a2k discuss list <<a href="mailto:a2k@lists.keionline.org">a2k@lists.keionline.org</a>><br>
<br><br>Development Agenda in WIPO, the turn for libraries and archives<br>
<br>
<a href="http://www.digitalrightslac.net/en/agenda-para-el-desarrollo-en-ompi-turno-para-bibliotecas-y-archivos/" target="_blank">http://www.digitalrightslac.net/en/agenda-para-el-desarrollo-en-ompi-turno-para-bibliotecas-y-archivos/</a><br>
<br>
By Luisa Fernanda Guzmán Mejía<br>
<br>
After approving the Marrakesh Treaty, the World Intellectual Property<br>
Organization (WIPO) will resume the Development Agenda. Now is turn for<br>
reviewing the needs of libraries and archives, but will there be political<br>
will to do so?<br>
Libraries and archives have the mission to collect, preserve and provide<br>
access to knowledge and information. Undoubtedly, they are guarantors of<br>
fundamental rights such as freedom of expression and access to information.<br>
These institutions contribute for improving education, research and<br>
employment, and as a source of entertainment; moreover, they promote the<br>
flow of ideas and freedom of thought, creativity and innovation. Due to<br>
their important role, they are central axis of cultural ecosystem.<br>
<br>
Although libraries invest annually about 24 billion dollars in books,<br>
magazines, audiovisual and digital content, and although they serve over<br>
1,000 million users worldwide, there is no clear legal scenario that allows<br>
them to perform basic activities of their mission. In some countries, for<br>
instance, the public material lending requires the express prior<br>
authorization of copyright holders. This puts out libraries in a vulnerable<br>
position by implying that their activities are illegal since it is<br>
unrealistic to request all these permissions.<br>
<br>
The absence of guarantees for the exercise of fundamental rights within the<br>
copyright system, such the exceptions and limitations, threatens the<br>
effective compliance of the mission of libraries and archives, sentences<br>
them to obsolescence and restricts them to provide their services in a<br>
traditional consulting room, without the possibility of exploring the<br>
potential of the digital environment. This situation is paradoxical<br>
especially in developing countries like Colombia, where, in some regions,<br>
libraries are the only form of access to books.<br>
<br>
According to a WIPO study conducted in 2008, 21 out of 184 Member States of<br>
the United Nations agency has no exceptions and limitations for libraries<br>
and archives. Meanwhile, only 27 enshrine a general exception that is not<br>
very useful. Nowadays the activity of these institutions practically depend<br>
on the “goodwill” of authors and rightholders, who have been “so kind” to<br>
not bring suit for the works’ uses carried out in most of the countries in<br>
the region.<br>
<br>
This situation will be analyzed precisely in the WIPO Standing Committee on<br>
Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR), the committee responsible for these<br>
subjects, which will meet from 16 to 20 December in Geneva.<br>
<br>
In Search for a Solution<br>
<br>
In 2004, Brazil and Argentina proposed the Development Agenda in order to<br>
integrate the UN Millennium Development Goals into all WIPO activities.<br>
That same year, Chile proposed advancing a WIPO consensus on minimum<br>
standards to guarantee libraries, archives and the education system to<br>
fulfill their mission, and for people with disabilities to exercise their<br>
rights. In this context, exceptions and limitations should be considered in<br>
all legislation for restoring the balance between rights of rightholders<br>
and users.<br>
<br>
The Interests at Stakes: Proposals and Positions on an International<br>
Instrument for Libraries and Archives<br>
<br>
In 2008, under the Development Agenda’s “umbrella”, Brazil, Chile,<br>
Nicaragua and Uruguay posed a work proposal that followed the original<br>
Chilean initiative.<br>
<br>
In 2011, this work-plan was completed on two different regulatory proposals:<br>
<br>
a. The African Group submitted a project, with a holistic approach, which<br>
recommended a treaty for benefiting people with disabilities, teaching and<br>
research institutions, and libraries and archives. However, it was decided<br>
to address them separately at WIPO.<br>
b. Brazil, Ecuador and Uruguay introduced a complementary proposal to the<br>
African Group project, which incorporates the considerations of a sectoral<br>
document (result of the effort of the International Federation of Library<br>
Associations –IFLA–, the International Council on Archives –ICA–, the<br>
Electronic Information for Libraries –EIFL– and Innovarte) that Brazil had<br>
previously submitted to WIPO.<br>
<br>
These treaty proposals seek essentially to establishing minimum legal<br>
guarantees within the copyright system for libraries and archives to<br>
preserve the works (including digitization), reproduce and provide copies,<br>
facilitate legal deposit, lending and parallel import, cross-border uses,<br>
use of orphan works, withdrawn or retracted right; circumvent technological<br>
protection measures, carry out translations and make explicit the liability<br>
limitation for these entities for the illegal acts that their users may<br>
commit.<br>
<br>
It is worth stating that the Marrakesh Treaty already solved one of the<br>
great difficulties of libraries and archives when providing services to<br>
people with visual disabilities. This, however, requires that these<br>
institutions are considered authorized entities in the treaty national<br>
implementation.<br>
<br>
Despite calls for a treaty’s signing, the truth is that the instrument<br>
nature is not yet defined. This reflects the tensions between developing<br>
countries (in favor of a treaty) and developed countries, which undoubtedly<br>
seem to lean towards a non-binding instrument (recommendation, model law,<br>
etc.). The United States has expressed its reluctance to negotiate a treaty<br>
on the subject. The delegate has argued that their legislation already<br>
included specific exceptions and limitations for libraries, and that they<br>
have the fair use doctrine.<br>
<br>
Meanwhile, the industry, led by the International Publishers Association<br>
(IPA), has argued that existing flexibilities are not only adequate but<br>
also preferable. There is no need for new binding international rules that<br>
restrict freedom of development of locally adapted exceptions. Similarly,<br>
the representative of this organization (that sometime has even worked<br>
jointly with IFLA) has stated that the circumstances for the Marrakesh<br>
Treaty’s adoption were special and unique due to simple humanitarian<br>
reasons, which in his opinion are not extendable to the libraries and<br>
archives case.<br>
<br>
Next meeting at WIPO<br>
<br>
The agenda for December at WIPO SCCR involves working on a proposed treaty<br>
to protect broadcasting organizations and two other proposals on exceptions<br>
and limitations (for libraries and educational uses). For that reason, we<br>
believe the first obstacle to be overcome will be the definition of the<br>
agenda.<br>
<br>
Group B countries or developed countries (the European Union and the U.S.)<br>
want to prioritize the treaty for the protection of broadcasting<br>
organizations. Precisely the Central Europe and the Baltic States Group<br>
(CEBS) proposed a roadmap for expediting the works of the SCCR by refining<br>
the text and with an eye on a diplomatic conference in 2015. Meanwhile, the<br>
Development Agenda Group (Brazil) and the African Group do not share this<br>
approach. They prefer to give priority to the exceptions and limitations.<br>
But it is likely that the balance tilts the other side.<br>
<br>
Many believe that WIPO was very worn out after Marrakesh’s negotiation,<br>
hence it will need a break to come back to the Development Agenda’s issues,<br>
more controversial among members because it implies building a guarantee<br>
system for users. Most likely, the broadcasting treaty will be used to<br>
create such space.<br>
<br>
Karisma Foundation will attend this WIPO session to strengthen the civil<br>
society participation in the region and to monitor the position of the<br>
Colombian government, which unlike countries like Argentina, Brazil, Chile,<br>
Ecuador and Uruguay has not been very active on such relevant issues.<br>
<br>
Luisa Fernanda Mejia Guzman is a lawyer and researcher at Karisma<br>
Foundation’s Law, Internet and Society Group. Twitter: @ lfdagm<br>
<span class="HOEnZb"><font color="#888888"><br>
<br>
--<br>
Manon Ress, Ph.D.<br>
Knowledge Ecology International, KEI<br>
<a href="mailto:manon.ress@keionline.org">manon.ress@keionline.org</a>, tel.: <a href="tel:%2B1%20202%20332%202670" value="+12023322670">+1 202 332 2670</a><br>
<a href="http://www.keionline.org" target="_blank">www.keionline.org</a><br>
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