Dear Members,
At the end of the month, there will be the 36th Meeting of the World Intellectual Property Organisation’s (WIPO) Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR). This is the primary global forum for discussing copyright, and in particular the limitations and exceptions to copyright which help libraries to do their jobs, for example through lending, research copying, or supplying copies of works to other institutions.
Our engagement at WIPO gives a possibility not just to meet and influence individual copyright policy-makers from around the world, but to make the case for practical and constructive action globally to improve the legal environment for libraries. You can find out more about WIPO’s work in IFLA’s guide for members.
IFLA is of course also active on the regional and national level, thanks to our Advisory Committee on Copyright and other Legal Matters (CLM). In recent months, we have supported members in South Africa, Colombia, Mexico and Europe, and are happy to offer advice and support elsewhere. We maintain a database of reforms around the world, as highlighted in a recent blog, and through our CLM Network, maintain a conversation about the latest developments around the world.
We have also produced materials, including infographics on how copyright reform can support creativity, innovation and communities, and on the importance of copyright for school and public libraries (all available todownload here).
In the coming days, my team will contact library associations in countries whose representatives are active at WIPO SCCR. If you are not contacted, but are interested to hear more, or have information to share about your own copyright reforms, please feel free to get in touch with my team: Stephen.wyber@ifla.org or Ariadna.matas@ifla.org.
Kind regards,
Gerald Leitner
IFLA Secretary General