Piracy a growing threat to Asia-Pacific broadcasters, ABU meeting told

Piracy is becoming a growing problem for broadcasters in the Asia-Pacific, costing them listeners and revenue.

Delegates to the ABU Copyright Committee Meeting and Forum in Colombo, Sri Lanka, from 26-17 May 2014, heard in particular reports from KBS-Korea and TVB-Hong Kong of increasing piracy in the region and how broadcasters were losing revenue.

In light of the threat, committee chairperson Mr Yoshinori Naito briefed members on various government delegations’ positions at meetings of the international Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) and urged ABU members to recognise the urgency of the forthcoming meeting in June, as this meeting would prepare to take the SCCR Broadcasters Treaty to the General Assembly of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in 2015.

“This is very important meeting and I seek the support of all members,” Mr Naito said. 

The ABU Copyright Committee meeting and forum hosted by the Capital Maharaja Group in the Stein Studios bought together members from the Asia-Pacific region to discuss a range of critical issues for broadcasters in the digital economy.

Members elaborated on their positions on the SCCR Broadcasters Treaty document 27/2, which included the new proposals from India and Japan, and discussed the matrix document that provided options for minimum protection and opt-out provisions for the treaty.

ABU Secretary-General Dr Javad Mottaghi told members that the Union would increase funding for copyright activities substantially and provided members with a feedback questionnaire to identify areas for training and workshops that would enable the Secretariat to come up with an action plan for the year with the increased budget.

The forum attracted leading speakers from the region to discuss IP awareness for broadcasters, media convergence and its challenges for regulations and sports broadcast rights. A workshop on music rights management was also organised as a part of the forum.

ABU Legal Officer Premila Manvi said Doordarshan, India, would host the next committee meeting and forum in 2015.