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WIPO Music Control Treaty Ratified

Posted by michael on from the one-world-one-treaty dept.

Greyfox writes: "Here's one that slipped through the cracks. The WIPO (You know, that unelected, unaccountable organization that lives in the Corporate back pockets) has ratified a anti-music piracy treaty which will go into effect on May 20. It apparently has anti-circumvention measures similar to the DMCA and will carry the force of law in the USA and other member countries." We had a more informative story about these two treaties a few months ago. The only new information is that the Phonograms and Performances Treaty now has enough signatures to go into effect in May.

4 of 260 comments (clear)

  1. I'm having trouble reconciling these: by Anonynnous+Coward · · Score: 4, Interesting
    from the writeup:
    Although the treaties provide a legal framework of rights, they do not overrule national laws.

    from the referenced CNN article:

    Although the treaties provide a legal framework of rights, they do not overrule national laws.

    Does it have the "force of law," or does it simply mean that nations have agreed to enact laws aligned with the treaty?

    Not that the intellectual "property" goons at the media empires have a prayer in the long run, anyway. They can't get away with selling bandwidth to the public on one hand and locking up content on the other. They're mutually exclusive.

  2. I heard Ralph Nader speak a few months ago... by I+Want+GNU! · · Score: 5, Interesting

    And he was worried that global organizations were hurting national sovereignty, if I interpreted his speech correctly. He was talking about organizations like the World Trade Organization whose agreements bind member nations to follow their policy above their own local laws, or be punished. It isn't just the national organiztaions that we must pay attention to now, but international ones like the World Intellectual Property Organizations whose treaties bind their members to follow their laws, for better or for worse.

  3. compare to DMCA by mbrx · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Can this treaty realy be compared to the DMCA. As I see it the worst part about the DMCA - restricting the freedom of speech by outlawing the *construction* of circumvention devices (read programs) - is not present in this treaty. The clost they get to this seem to be Article 18 and 19 which I interpred solely as forbing the *use* of said devices/programs. Which of course is bad that too... but not as bad as the DMCA.

  4. A little Background by thumbtack · · Score: 4, Interesting

    This was lobbyed for very heavily by the IFPI and the RIAA. Jason Berman is the head of the IFPI (and the former head of the RIAA, he reccommended Hilary Rosen to replace him. He is based out out New York and has been a steady fixture at the WIPO meeting and debates. One has to ask why the head of an organization based in London, lives in New York, unless this was the plan all along. He is a former Warner Bros exec and a Senate aide. While we were watching the Hilary, Berman was expanding US copyright policy to the world. More on Berman.