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Two
1996 treaties negotiated under the auspices of the World Intellectual
Property Organization (WIPO), the WIPO Copyright Treaty (WCT) and the
WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty (WPPT) update international
copyright standards for the Internet era. The WIPO
"Internet" Treaties lay the groundwork for the healthy
expansion of electronic commerce in countries that ratify them,
including the possibility of more and better jobs, more secure and
diversified economies, and greater social and cultural advancement.
The WCT entered into force on March 6, 2002, and the WPPT entered into
force on May 20, 2002. Currently 65 countries have ratified the WCT and
63 countries have ratified the WPPT. To view a full list of countries which have deposited
their instruments to these WIPO treaties,
click
here.
The importance of ratification and
deposit of the WCT and WPPT for a country's economy and culture cannot
be overstated. For instance:
- Electronic commerce can help
overcome existing barriers to access to scientific, medical and
technical data, educational materials, and technical and
productivity software. Trade in these vital resources,
needed for prosperity and competitive advantage in the Information
Age, will be much cheaper, more efficient, and easier in a digital
networked marketplace.
- Electronic commerce can help attract
higher and more consistent levels of foreign direct investment in
high technology and information-intensive businesses. A host
of service, processing and other functions can conveniently be
out-sourced, which in turn will enhance the skills and
opportunities of a country's citizenry.
- Electronic commerce can help build
stronger economic, social, and cultural links in the region,
without regard to geographic proximity.
- Electronic commerce can provide an
enormous boost to a country's cultural and creative
industries. Through digital networks, that country's music,
art, literature, and folklore can reach new markets throughout the
world, and be delivered directly to paying customers around the
globe.
To fully
implement the WIPO Internet Treaties, countries will need to upgrade
their copyright laws, whether through minor changes or more
substantial revisions. When implementation is complete, each country
will have:
- Protections against the unlawful circumvention of
effective technologies that right holders use to prevent theft of
their creations.
- Protections against the unlawful tampering with
tags and codes associated with copies of protected works and
phonograms that are used to facilitate legitimate distribution and
licensing.
- Recognition of extended or clarified rights for
copyright owners: for example, a right to control distribution of
copies of creations, and a right to control communications of a
work, including the "making available" of a work or
phonogram to the public in an interactive manner.
- Harmonized protections (through implementation of
the WPPT) for the rights of performers and producers of
phonograms.
For more information on WIPO and the
text of these treaties, visit the WIPO website at http://www.wipo.int. |
