Global Internet Copyright Treaty Enters Into Force

(WIPO pact protects rights of authors in cyberspace) (600)


An international treaty negotiated in 1996 to protect authors'
copyrights on the Internet came into force March 6.


The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty
(WCT) is one of a pair of treaties negotiated by 160 countries to
protect against Internet piracy. The second pact, the WIPO
Performances and Phonograms Treaty (WPPT), covers sound recordings and
will come into force on May 20.


The treaties become law three months after they are ratified by 30
countries. Gabon became the 30th country to join the WCT in December
2001. Honduras became the 30th country to join the WPPT on February
20, 2002.


Both pacts are designed to bring intellectual property law into the
digital age by preventing unauthorized copying or use of work and to
ensure the payment of royalties. In a statement, WIPO Director General
Kamil Idris emphasized the importance of the new norms provided for in
the WCT and the WPPT which, he said, "are vital for the further
development of the Internet, electronic commerce and thereby the
culture and information industries."

The 30 parties to the WCT are: Argentina, Belarus, Bulgaria, Burkina
Faso, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Ecuador,
El Salvador, Gabon, Georgia, Hungary, Indonesia, Japan, Kyrgyzstan,
Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Republic of
Moldova, Romania, Saint Lucia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine and the
United States.

Following is the text of the WIPO statement:

(begin text)

World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
Geneva, March 6, 2002
WCT Enters Into Force

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Copyright Treaty
(WCT), one of two key treaties that will bring copyright law in line
with the digital age, entered into force on March 6, 2002. The second
of these so-called "Internet treaties", the WIPO Performances and
Phonograms Treaty (WPPT), enters into force on May 20, 2002. The
treaties lay down the legal groundwork to safeguard the interests of
creators in cyberspace and open new horizons for composers, artists,
writers and others to use the Internet with confidence to create,
distribute and control the use of their works within the digital
environment.

The Director General of WIPO, Dr. Kamil Idris, welcomed this important
development in the history of copyright law. He emphasized the
importance of the new norms provided for in the WCT and the WPPT
which, he said, are vital for the further development of the Internet,
electronic commerce and thereby the culture and information
industries. The treaties were agreed in 1996 and become law three
months after they are ratified by 30 states. Gabon became the 30th
country to join the WCT last December. Honduras became the 30th state
to join the WPPT on February 20, 2002.

To be truly effective, the Director General stressed, the treaties
must become widely adopted by countries in all regions of the world.
"While we have reached the key number of 30 countries required for
entry into force, I urge all other countries to follow suit and to
incorporate the provisions of the WCT and WPPT into their national
legislation. This will create the conditions necessary for the
broad-based and legitimate distribution of creative works and
recordings on the Internet," he said.

For more information about the WCT, please consult PR/300/2001 or
contact the Media Relations & Public Affairs Section at WIPO:

Tel: +41 22 338 81 61 or 338 95 47; Fax: + 41 22 338 88 10; E-mail:
publicinf@wipo.int

(end text)

(Distributed by the Office of International Information Programs, U.S.
Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)