Norms-Shifting on Copyright and Fair Use in the Visual Arts Community
[Patricia Aufderheide, Aram Sinnreich, Louisa Imperiale and Carolyn Silvernail] This study tracks changes in behavior and attitude among visual arts professionals after the development of a code of best practices in the copyright doctrine of fair use. A survey of 2,400 professionals fielded only months after its publication demonstrated broad awareness of the code, informing practice and inspiring efforts to spread awareness. The greatest degree of awareness and change was among editors, several of whose publications altered their copyright policies. Click here for more.
EU Compromise on Marrakesh Treaty Directive Comes with a Sting in the Tail
[Joint statement by the Internationtal Federation of Library Associations and the European Bureau of Library, Information and Documentation Associations] IFLA and EBLIDA sincerely wish to be able to welcome wholeheartedly the compromise agreement on the Marrakesh Treaty Directive reached on 10th May by representatives of the Council of Ministers, the Commission and the Parliament. However, together with the European Blind Union, we reject entirely the notion in the agreement that the fundamental public interest activities of non-profit libraries and charities in creating and sharing accessible format books may, in some Member States, give rise to ‘compensation’ to rightholders. Click here for more.
Trump Administration Gives Formal Notice of Intent to Renegotiate NAFTA
[Mike Palmedo] Today, U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer formally notified Congress of its intent to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), via a letter to Congressional leadership. The letter is less detailed than last March’s draft notification, and unlike the March draft, it includes no specific negotiating objectives. Rather, the letter that was sent today notes “our aim is that NAFTA be modernized to include new provisions to address intellectual property rights, regulatory practices, state-owned enterprises, services, customs, procedures, sanitary and phytosanitary measures, labor, environment, and small and medium enterprises.” The letter also says that the Administration will develop negotiating positions that are consistent with the objectives found in Section 102 of the Trade Priorities and Accountability Act. Click here for more.
Re:Create Coalition Calls For Any NAFTA Negotiations On Copyright To Incorporate Limitations And Exceptions
[Re:Create] As the Trump Administration notifies Congress of its intent to negotiate changes to NAFTA, the Re:Create Coalition today issued a statement urging the Office of the United States Trade Representative to include language on copyright limitations and exceptions, including fair use, if copyright law is part of the negotiations: “If NAFTA is renegotiated and if it includes a chapter on copyright, that chapter must have mandatory language on copyright limitations and exceptions, including fair use. The United States cannot export one-sided enforcement provisions of copyright law without their equally important partner under U.S. law: fair use. Click here for more.
Open Letter to Ministers of Trade from Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement Signatories Meeting in Hanoi on 20-21 May 2017
[Joint letter signed by 43 civil society organizations] Dear Ministers: As organisations representing health professionals and health advocates from countries that are signatories to the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP), we write to convey our deep concerns about reports that some of the remaining TPP parties are considering resurrecting the TPP following the U.S. withdrawal, and to reiterate concerns raised with you previously regarding its negative impacts on people’s right to health, access to affordable medicines, and the ability of governments to regulate health-damaging activities of corporations. Click here for more.
Why Copyright Law Poses a Barrier to Canada’s Artificial Intelligence Ambitions
[Michael Geist] The federal government placed a big bet in this year’s budget on Canada becoming a world leader in artificial intelligence (AI), investing millions of dollars on a national strategy to support research and commercialization. The hope is that by attracting high-profile talent and significant corporate support, the government can turn a strong AI research record into an economic powerhouse. Funding and personnel have been the top policy priorities, yet other barriers to success remain. For example, Canada’s restrictive copyright rules may hamper the ability of companies and researchers to test and ultimately bring new AI services to market. Click here for more.
WIPO Committee On Development Outcome Hailed As Most Positive In Years
[Catherine Saez] After years of mostly discontented discussions at the World Intellectual Property Organization committee on IP and development, last week proved positive, with a 10 year political knot solved, an international conference, and a new project approved, as well as a number of recommendations to implement the 2007 WIPO Development Agenda. Some issues, however, are expected to be further discussed at the next session, including the way WIPO should contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and whether a conference on IP and development should be organised biennially. Click here for the full story on ip-watch.org
