"Diplomatic Conference on WIPO Broadcast Treaty in Limbo." Communications Daily; September 28, 2006.

This article summarizes US involvement in the World Intellectual Property Organization and the Standing Committee on Copyright & Related Rights.  A major agreement was discussed by the SCCR dealing with international broadcast and copyright rules, however the US strongly disagrees with the other member states.  The treaty gained wide success from nearly all the member nations except the United States, who were strongly opposed.

            The US stated that the first agreement on broadcast copyright laws should be general at first and that the committee would add specific details at later meetings.  This would allow business practices to be evaluated and would permit a trial and error phase.  Most other nations disagreed and stated while more preparation was needed, the escape clause that the US recommended was overkill.

            Seeking more expert opinion before a decision, the US seemed to be one of the few nations that believed more research was needed.  Pakistan stated that most of the issues were political rather than technical and that debated and compromise was needed over expert presentations.  The US remained divided on the issue and would not support the agreement.  The SCCR will likely schedule another meeting in 2007 to discuss broadcast copyright.

            This event highlights US involvement in foreign copyright law.  The United States resisted joining the Berne Convention for over 100 years and we the main hindering force in this round of agreements.  This holds true to my thesis that the US wants to be part of the global economy, but on its own terms and for its own benefit above all others.

 

No longer can Hollywood live in "splendid isolation." Many sectors of commerce including film seek to expand into the global marketplace, but they do not want to abandon their current practices of US copyright law in order to do so. The Berne Convention of 1886 was the first international agreement for intellectual property protection, but the US didn't join it for over 100 years. Through a process of changing certain copyright laws, the US was able to join the convention while still maintaining a uniquely American form of copyright law. This has led to major expansions in US economies such as film, where Hollywood has been able to increase their profits and distribution many times over thanks, in part, to the unique ways that the United States approached the Berne Convention.