#Civil Rights
Target:
World Intellectual Property organization (WIPO)
Region:
GLOBAL
Website:
www.eff.org

June 18, 2006

The United Nations' World Intellectual Property Organization has called a last-minute meeting on June 21 in Barcelona, out of the normal diplomatic venues to try to push through the Broadcasting Treaty.

This treaty gives broadcasters (not creators or copyright holders) the right to tie up the use of audiovisual material for 50 years after broadcasting it, even if the programs are in the public domain, Creative Commons licensed, or not copyrightable.

We, the undersigned, podcasters and supporters of the global podcasting community, earnestly request that WIPO respect, acknowledge and include the following in any revision of the Broadcast Treaty:

• broadcaster copyright cannot overrule podcast copyright or other licence;

• podcasting is not broadcasting and the two must not be conflated (forced together);

• the wishes of the creator regarding their rights in their work must be respected;

• Creative Commons licences, GPU licences, "free forever" licences (in whatever form) are legitimate and must be upheld in perpetuity.

The Podcasting And The WIPO Broadcast Treaty petition to World Intellectual Property organization (WIPO) was written by Dean Whitbread and is in the category Civil Rights at GoPetition.