ABU meeting urges speedier adoption of copyright treaty

More than 60 ABU members attended a meeting in Bangkok to chart ways to speed up the adoption of an international copyright treaty to protect broadcasters’ content.

The ABU Copyright Committee meeting is an annual event at which ABU members can exchange information on new trends in copyright and broadcast issues affecting the industry.

This year’s meeting focused on working towards accelerating the development of the Broadcasters Treaty which will provide broadcasters with additional protection in the digital age.

The committee agreed to have individual meetings with members and their national delegations to prompt more positive progress in the upcoming 26th meeting of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) in Geneva in July 2013.

Ms Ampawan Charoenkul, Deputy Director-General of the host National Broadcasting Service of Thailand (NBT) welcomed the members to the meeting and said: “In Thailand, the current media environment is at its most vibrant and evolving along with all the new developments and challenges. This meeting on the issue of copyright, therefore, is very timely.”

Mr Takeshi Doki, Director of the ABU Program Department, said an international treaty was vital to protect broadcasters’ signals and he praised ABU members who had been involved in the work to-date.

“I congratulate you for the persistence,” he said. “I am sure all this hard work will see the light if our members continue to support each other and the good work.

“The ABU legal department has been instrumental in instigating such positive progress in collaboration with its members and we look forward to seeing the deepening of such co-operation in the future also.”

In his speech at the opening ceremony, Dr Natee Sukonrat, Chairman of the Broadcasting Board of the Thai National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission, said broadcasters and the whole industry would benefit from a broadcasters’ treaty.