WIPO Broadcasting Treaty

UP IN THE AIR
[SOURCE: Wired in Washington, AUTHOR: Drew Clark]
Broadcasters have never lacked for political clout. Whether in the United Sates or overseas, the companies that control the airwaves generally seem to get their way with governments. The broadcasting barons are on their way to another victory. Last week in Geneva, a treaty that would grant new legal rights to U.S. broadcasters cleared a major hurdle. Its next test is a plenary meeting of the World Intellectual Property Organization beginning September 25. If all goes as broadcasters expect, formal treaty negotiations will begin in July. WIPO has been working on this broadcaster protection treaty since 1998, and broadcasters all over the world say action is long overdue. National Association of Broadcasters CEO David Rehr says he wants to be able to stop Caribbean cable systems from taking the signals of Florida broadcasters and retransmitting them on their networks. A new international treaty is necessary, he says. Whether dealing with medical drugs or digital downloads, WIPO has a well-deserved reputation of pushing the interests of intellectual property holders. So it is no surprise that a network of global non-profits is outraged over another attempted expansion of intellectual property rights. What’s different about broadcaster protection is that competing players ­ telecommunications carriers, technology companies, musicians, to name a few -- don't want to protect broadcasters. They've made a belated push to derail the treaty. And that may have tipped the scales of the U.S. government against it. Each of these potential rivals is pushing its own mish-mash agenda. That’s why predicting a final outcome may be impossible. But it’s clear that this isn't your typical battle between big corporations and public interest groups.
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