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_______________ Original message _______________
Subject: EFF: WIPO Shutting Out Public Interest Organizations
Author: Esther Dyson <edyson@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: 08th March 2005 7:27:6 AM
>See: http://www.eff.org/news/archives/2005_03.php#003401[3
> >WIPO Shutting Out Public Interest Organizations >Experts on Development Won't Be Heard at Crucial Meetings >Geneva - Last week, the World Intellectual Property >Organization (WIPO) announced that it will shut out most >public interest organizations at two important meetings >devoted to intellectual property and development. As a >result, WIPO delegates from 182 nations will discuss these >issues without hearing from many of the world's >best-qualified experts.
>Scheduled for next month, two WIPO "Development Agenda" >meetings will focus on the impact of copyright, patent, and >other intellectual property rights regimes on the >developing world. Without the public interest >organizations, the discussions will be heavily weighted >toward major motion picture studios, broadcasters, >pharmaceutical giants, and other powerful interests that >want to expand copyright and patent law. >"This is an embarrassment for WIPO," explained EFF European >Affairs Coordinator Cory Doctorow. "Settling the debate by
>locking one side out of the building isn't the way the UN >is supposed to work. We love the Development Agenda -- it's >supposed to be a new direction for WIPO. A one-sided >discussion isn't a new direction, though. It's just more of >the same." >These meetings are a response to the proposal put forward >by Brazil and Argentina in the wake of the Geneva >Declaration on the future of WIPO, which was signed by >hundreds of individuals and public interest >non-governmental organizations (NGOs), including the
>Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF). >Most public interest groups have only recently begun >participating in WIPO and are not yet permanently >accredited by the organization, since the accreditation >process takes a year and they have always been able to >participate as "ad hoc" observers in the past. On March 2, >however, the International Bureau Secretariat advised EFF >that only those NGOs that are currently accredited as >"permanent" observers at WIPO will be allowed to attend >these meetings. As a result, the bulk of civil society will
>be barred from attending. >"The Secretariat's exclusion of ad hoc observer NGOs raises >fundamental questions about WIPO's commitment to a full and >thorough discussion of the important issues in the >Development Agenda proposal," said EFF International >Affairs Director Gwen Hinze. >EFF is accredited as a WIPO permanent observer and will be >attending the meetings. The group will be reporting on the >proceedings and will attempt to represent the viewpoints of >some of the other public interest groups that are being
>excluded from the process. Esther Dyson Always make new mistakes!
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