WIPO Conference on the Global Digital Content Market Opens in New Delhi, India – Exploring the Impact of Digital Transformation in Asia-Pacific Region, Balancing Interests of Creators and Consumers

New Delhi, India, November 14, 2018
PR/2018/825

WIPO Director General Francis Gurry and Secretary to the Government of India, Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion, Mr. Ramesh Abhishek today opened the 2018 WIPO Conference on the Global Digital Content Market, which is focused on promoting balance between creators and consumers of digital media in an increasingly worldwide economy for cultural products.

Video: Video press conference

Hundreds of delegates including business, government and creative-industry leaders are attending the meeting, with the Asia-Pacific region in the spotlight this year, and will discuss the challenges in accommodating easy public access to music, film and other creative works and creators’ abilities to earn a living.

While the digital environment has created enormous opportunities for consumers and creators alike, it has also resulted in massive disruptions to existing business models. The resulting pressures are at the heart of the WIPO’s Conference, which is being hosted by India’s Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion at the Ministry of Commerce and Industry.

Content, Creative Industries

In his message to the Conference, India’s Union Minister of Commerce and Industry and Civil Aviation Suresh Prabhu welcomed the convening by WIPO of the Conference in India, saying his country is "a strong believer in protecting intellectual property rights" and has taken measures to strengthen its IP infrastructure. He recognized the importance of content to the creative industries and affirmed that whatever conclusions emerged from the Conference would be taken to their logical conclusion.

Mr. Gurry thanked the Government of India and said it was a great privilege for WIPO to host the event which will focus on this dynamic region, as projections show that Asia will account for some two-thirds of all global economic growth in 2018.

“The digital economy has transformed the creative sector. It has created new tools for the creation and distribution of cultural content, providing exciting new opportunities for both consumers and creators alike,” said Mr. Gurry. “However, this global shift to digital has shaken the foundations of long-established business models at a rapid pace – and new adaptive practices need to emerge.”

Mr. Gurry emphasized the significance of the WIPO Conference in bringing together the diversity of actors and disciplines to explore the full range of possibilities in the global digital environment.

Mr. Gurry underlined the importance of copyright in incentivizing creative activity and financing cultural creation. “While new business models have been disruptive, one principle remains intact: the centrality of copyright as a financing mechanism for the creative content that underlines human cultural activity.”

Mr. Abhishek said “This conference showcases India’s commitment to digitization and thereby realizing the Indian Prime Minister’s vision of a Digital India.” He added that India too, like other developing nations, is witnessing a radical change in dynamics of business models and “is looking to attain great heights as a digitally empowered society and knowledge economy.”

About the Conference

Participants in the Conference include award-winning artists, tech entrepreneurs and executives from the music, film and publishing industries. This is the second Global Digital Content Market Conference organized by WIPO. The first one, held in Geneva in 2016, targeted a global audience.

The keynote address on the first day was given by international best-selling author Sangeet Paul Choudary.

"We need to rethink policies relating to the digital economy with a lens not just on consumer access to content but also mechanisms by which creators are properly rewarded by platforms," said Mr. Choudary. He added: “More than ever, today, policy makers need to think about how we move from an economy favoring rent-seeking platforms to an economy favoring creators and artists who furnish their intellectual property to such platforms.”

During the two day event, panelists’ discussions will cover:

• Music – New Channels and New Models
• Education Publishing – Curated Content and Education Outputs in the Digital Era
• Film - Sustaining the Film Industry in the Digital Environment
• Broadcasting and Media Convergence – From Paper to Screen
• Digital Rights and Infrastructure - Policy and Diplomacy Considerations
• Digital inclusion – How the Benefits of Digital Advances Can be Shared Across All Levels of Society

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