The highs and lows of EIFL's week at WIPO
A 16-strong international team from 11 library and archive organizations attended. 21 interventions cited dozens of examples of copyright challenges. Five more nations signed the Marrakesh Treaty. How did the session end?

You are here

Library and archive representatives at SCCR/27
Library and archive representatives at SCCR/27.

Two representatives from EIFL joined a 16-strong international team representing 11 library and organizations spanning Africa, Australia, Canada, Europe, Latin America, and the United States at WIPO's Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) that took place in Geneva from 28 April - 2 May 2014.

During the week, WIPO Member States heard in detail about daily copyright challenges faced by librarians and archivists when providing services in support of education and research, access to knowledge and culture. Lunch time events on the global information ecosystem, and the Tunis Model Law for developing countries provided further opportunities for discussion and debate.

On the last day, however, the Committee hit “a big bump in the road” when it could not collectively agree on the conclusions of the meeting, or its future work. In a tense stand-off between developing countries and the European Union, the meeting collapsed without agreement in the early hours of morning.