[free-sklyarov] Information About WIPO Wanted

[Jon O .]

Don't forget:

TRIPS: AGREEMENT
WTO-WIPO cooperation agreement
http://www.wto.org/english/tratop_e/trips_e/wtowip_e.htm

Agreement Between the World Intellectual
Property Organization and the World Trade
Organization

Other nations are having these same laws applied to them!

Not nation wide, world wide. heads up.


On 29-Jul-2001, Erik Moeller wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> apparently the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), a UN 
> agency with a ~250 million $ budget, is responsible, among other 
> despicable things, for the DMCA, the EU copyright directive, the 
> Canadian equivalent to the DMCA and all other laws concerning the 
> circumvention of copy-protection. See the "WIPO Copyright Treaty 
> adopted by the Diplomatic Conference on December 20, 1996":
> 
> http://www.eff.org/Intellectual_property/WIPO/final_WIPO_treaty.html
> 
> Particularly Article 11:
> 
> Obligations concerning Technological Measures
> 
> "Contracting Parties shall provide adequate legal protection and 
> effective legal remedies against the circumvention of effective 
> technological measures that are used by authors in connection
> with the exercise of their rights under this Treaty or the Berne 
> Convention and that restrict acts, in respect of their works, which 
> are not authorized by the authors concerned or permitted
> by law."
> 
> Does anyone know more about how WIPO works? In particular:
> 
> 1.) What happens if a member country doesn't satisfy the demands of a 
> WIPO treaty? 
> 
> It seems to me that the policy-making process is a hidden one, and 
> once the treaty has been signed, member nations have little choice 
> but to turn it into law, particularly since WIPO cooperates with the 
> WTO through the TRIPS agreement on intellectual property rights.
> 
> 2.) How does the WIPO policy-making-process work? 
> 
> >From their organigram (http://www.wipo.int/about-wipo/en/pdf/org-
> en.pdf) I only see that they have a "copyright office". In their 
> listing of principal officers, there appears to be nobody responsible 
> for the protection of consumer / fair use rights.
> 
> 3.) How is the WIPO protected against lobbying?
> 
> 4.) How is it democratically controlled?
> 
> If anyone has more information on WIPO and related treaties, in 
> particular detailed criticisms and descriptions of its organization 
> and structure, please e-mail me or reply to the list if appropriate. 
> 
> Perhaps it's time for "DENOUNCE WIPO TREATIES" flyers and posters. 
> I'll try to compile as much information as I can.
> 
> Regards,
> Erik
> 
> -- 
> Scientific Reviewer, Freelancer, Humanist -- Berlin/Germany
> Phone: +49-30-45491008 - Web: <http://www.humanist.de/erik>
> The Origins of Peace and Violence: <http://www.violence.de>
> 
> "History is full of people who, out of fear or ignorance or the lust 
> for power, have destroyed treasures of immeasurable value which truly
> belong to all of us. We must not let it happen again." -- Carl Sagan
> 
> _______________________________________________
> free-sklyarov mailing list
> free-sklyarov at zork.net
> http://zork.net/mailman/listinfo/free-sklyarov