Asia Pacific Group Opening Statement at SCCR/31 - By India

7 December 2015

Statement by India on behalf of the Asia and Pacific Group at the 31st session of Standing Committee on Copyrights and Related Rights

Mr. Chair,

India has the honor to deliver this opening statement on behalf of the Asia and the Pacific Group. The group is happy to see you chairing SCCR once again. We have full confidence in your experience and your leadership skills. We are confident that your hard work and diligence will yield desired results and help this committee reach a mutual understanding. We also appreciate the secretariat for their preparation of this meeting.

Mr. Chair,

The SCCR is an important committee of WIPO dealing with three issues of critical importance to member states namely the protection of broadcasting organizations; limitations and exceptions for libraries and archives and exceptions and limitations for educational and research institutions and persons with other disabilities.

These three issues are of great importance to our group. Going by previous sessions of SCCR, it would not be wrong to mention that SCCR is facing difficulty in finding agreement on how to continue its work on these agenda items. Our group believes that these issues have not received the same level of commitment and understanding commensurate with their importance based on the differential socioeconomic development of Member States.

Inclusiveness and mutual understanding of each others' priorities and concerns are essential for progress. In this spirit, the Asia Pacific Group is committed to engaging constructively in negotiating a mutually acceptable outcome for all three issues before the committee. Our group supports the proposed program of work.

Mr. Chair,

Members of the group would like to see the finalization of a balanced treaty on the protection of broadcasting organizations, based on the mandate of the 2007 General Assembly to provide protection on the signal based approach for cable casting and broadcasting organizations in the traditional sense.

Mr. Chair,

For our Group, exceptions and limitations are of critical importance for individuals as well as the collective development of enlightened societies. However, there is no denying the fact that some divergence on how to approach exceptions and limitations exists among member states.

Exceptions and limitations have an important role to play in attaining the right to education, actualization of which is hampered in many developing countries due to lack of access to relevant educational and research material. It is unfortunate that absence of adequate will to discuss and develop the two exceptions and limitations before this committee had resulted in an inertia on all three issues that led to an absence of a decision by the General Assembly in October 2015.

We hope that all member states shall engage sincerely and constructively in this session on those two issues based on previous discussions and new inputs so that in future we have text to discuss and work with.

Mr. Chair,

SCCR is the same committee which has given us the Beijing and the Marrakesh Treaties. My group is optimistic that with the requisite will we can achieve similar outcome regarding the development of appropriate international instruments on all three issues soon. We look forward to tangible progress and productive results in this session.

With these words, I thank you once again...

Muchas Gracias Senor Presidente por esta oportunidad ( Spanish )