Sources this afternoon from Geneva indicate that there is talk of Canada putting itself forward for the chair position of the WIPO Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights. This position is absolutely critical to international copyright policy matters as the broadcast treaty, development agenda, and work on limitations and exceptions all flow through the committee. Canadian officials have frequently faced criticism for bringing a large delegation to Geneva but remaining relatively quiet. If these rumours are true, this provides an opportunity for leadership on key international copyright matters that would allow the government to point to its international activities as evidence that it is engaged on copyright. Stay tuned.
Canadian Leadership at WIPO Copyright Committee?
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[cynicism]
Oh sure, but is it really still called leadership when the path they are leading the world down was blazed by the American DMCA?
[/cynicism]
Copyright/Property rights
This is slightly off topic But,
This is an interesting short piece on todays debate/criticism of copyright laws compared with the development of the American property rights.
The article raised some very valid points I think our legislators should consider before marching off to organize the world.
“If copyrights are a form of property right, then the history of American property rights provides clues about how the copyright system will need to evolve in the future. It suggests that Congress’s current strategy of imposing ever more draconian penalties for breaking laws that lack broad public support is a recipe for failure. Congress may be forced to concede, as it did two centuries ago, that property law must accommodate the actions of ordinary Americans, and not the other way around.” (Timothy B. Lee – March 4, 2008)
[ link ]
Promote IP culture?
I don\’t trust WIPO. They don\’t make it clear what their real interests are. Maybe it is a good idea that Canada is involved so that we can keep an eye on them. OTOH I\’m not sure that they represent anything which is good for us. A perusal of their site gives no real explanation about their core values. Their first mandate is \”To promote an IP culture\”. Is that a good thing?
@Olde Bill: The article to which you link is indeed very pertinent here. I strongly recommend that people read that and then go to the WIPO site and see if WIPO has any suggestions for making the world a better place. I don\’t think they do.