WIPO Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR-18) – May 25th-29th, 2009

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law summarizes the proceedings of the 18th session of the WIPO Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR-18) held in May 2009. The document details debates over a proposed Broadcast Treaty, the establishment of international exceptions and limitations to copyright for education and the disabled, and the ongoing effort to harmonize international protection for audiovisual (AV) performers.

• The SCCR has spent ten years debating a Broadcast Treaty to cover broadcasting, cablecasting, and webcasting. Proponents argue it is needed to "prevent piracy and/or the theft of signals," while opponents fear a new set of intellectual property rights (IPRs) for packaging and distributing content would "hinder access to information" and negatively impact competition.
• At SCCR-18, Brazil, Ecuador, and Paraguay officially proposed a treaty by the World Blind Union (WBU Treaty) to provide visually impaired and otherwise reading disabled persons (VIP) with cross-border access to copyright-protected material. Industrialized nations requested more time for national consultation, and the publishing industry expressed concern regarding the "potential leakage of unprotected content from non-profit to for-profit markets."
• The Committee is revising a 52-question draft survey on Exceptions and Limitations to copyright. The revised survey will add a fifth topic regarding "the implications of digital technology in the field of copyright, including as they relate to social, cultural and religious Exceptions and Limitations," and may include technology transfer and cross-border implications.
• The US and EU both support a treaty for the international protection of audiovisual (AV) performers, but they disagree on moral rights, national treatment, the scope of rights over public broadcasts, and the transfer of rights. The transfer of rights was the only article among 20 that lacked consensus during a 2000 diplomatic conference.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2009). WIPO Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR-18) – May 25th-29th, 2009. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/SCCR-18_Summary_Jun09.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. WIPO Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR-18) – May 25th-29th, 2009. 2009. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/SCCR-18_Summary_Jun09.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=WIPO Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR-18) – May 25th-29th, 2009 |date=2009 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/SCCR-18_Summary_Jun09.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2009wipo, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{WIPO Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR-18) – May 25th-29th, 2009}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2009}, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/SCCR-18_Summary_Jun09.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }