Opening Remarks, SCCR, 18th Session

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) delivered opening remarks at the 18th Session of the SCCR in June 2009, advocating for a new international instrument on copyright exceptions and limitations to improve access for the disabled, libraries, and education.

• CIEL urges the Committee to establish a new international instrument on Exceptions and Limitations to facilitate access for educational purposes, libraries, and the disabled. As an immediate first step, CIEL supports a treaty proposed by the World Blind Union to improve cross-border access for the visually impaired, specifically endorsing proposals introduced by Paraguay, Ecuador, and Brazil.
• CIEL advocates for the use of open-source platforms and standards to increase access to knowledge and innovation, citing the DAISY Consortium’s Standard for Digital Talking Books as a successful example. The transition of the DAISY Standard from proprietary (1994) to open standards (1997) accelerated technological evolution for people with reading disabilities in countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom, Japan, and Sweden.
• CIEL criticizes the practice of publishers and authors disabling text-to-speech features in electronic books, which prevents the visually impaired from benefiting from existing technology.
• CIEL argues that discussions regarding a new international agreement on webcasting or internet broadcasting are premature. This position is based on a growing digital divide; International Telecommunications Union (ITU) data shows the gap in internet users between industrialized and developing countries grew from 11% in 1997 to 45% in 2007, with only 22% of the global population having access in 2007.
• CIEL expresses concern that creating new intellectual property rights (IPRs) for the packaging and distribution of content would hinder access to information and protect incumbent business models rather than creators or the distribution of knowledge.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2009). Opening Remarks, SCCR, 18th Session. https://www.ciel.org/news/ciel-works-with-partners-to-support-a-treaty-on-copyright-exceptions-and-limitations-at-wipo-a-summary-of-the-meting-available-is-here/

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Opening Remarks, SCCR, 18th Session. 2009. https://www.ciel.org/news/ciel-works-with-partners-to-support-a-treaty-on-copyright-exceptions-and-limitations-at-wipo-a-summary-of-the-meting-available-is-here/.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Opening Remarks, SCCR, 18th Session |date=1 June 2009 |url=https://www.ciel.org/news/ciel-works-with-partners-to-support-a-treaty-on-copyright-exceptions-and-limitations-at-wipo-a-summary-of-the-meting-available-is-here/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2009opening, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Opening Remarks, SCCR, 18th Session}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2009}, month = jun, url = {https://www.ciel.org/news/ciel-works-with-partners-to-support-a-treaty-on-copyright-exceptions-and-limitations-at-wipo-a-summary-of-the-meting-available-is-here/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }