Director General Gurry Speaks at International Publishers Association Congress in India

February 15, 2018

The opening panel at the International Publishers Association (IPA) Congress in New Delhi on February 11, 2018 featured a vibrant discussion among WIPO Director General Francis Gurry, Ms. Maria Pallante, Chief Executive of the Association of American Publishers and Mr. Michiel Kolman, IPA President, on how intellectual property fits into the future of the publishing industry.

Mr. Gurry outlined the success of the international copyright system, ranging from the cornerstone Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works of 1886 to the other international copyright treaties administered by WIPO.   He noted, however, recent challenges in multilateral norm-setting efforts in the field of copyright. This has opened the way to public-private sector initiatives such as the Accessible Books Consortium (ABC), which provides access to published works for the visually impaired. 

The functioning of the global digital content market is another area for future co-operation, according to the Director General. The current status of standards and identifiers is undermining the legal certainty of copyright and emerging business models, he pointed out. 

Ms. Maria Pallante asked whether the major digital platforms and Tech Players ought to be regulated to level the playing field with content providers.   The Director General acknowledged that there was a perception of undue concentration of value but suggested that there was a need for more information to evaluate the reality and extent of the problem.  He observed that the platforms were not restricted by legacy systems and were therefore more nimble in the market. 

The Director General discussed WIPO’s capacity building work and the architecture of copyright.  He gave the example of how difficult it is, in the current architecture, to comply with copyright law when wanting to use a film clip and how a simple look-up tool could facilitate compliance.  As an example of capacity building, Mr. Gurry welcomed the collaboration with the IPA at a recent pan-African conference in Cameroon on building national education publishing sectors in countries across the continent.  He emphasized that WIPO’s role in capacity building was pre-competitive, meaning WIPO’s role is not to interfere in market mechanisms.

International publishers at the Congress asked the Director General questions relating to copyright infringement and copyright infrastructure.   He pointed out that national publisher associations might consider discussing such issues with their national governments, who in turn can raise the matters in international fora. 

The Director General concluded by stating that “the publishing industry enriches our lives extraordinarily,” and noted that “a healthy publishing industry is fundamental to a healthy society.”