WIPO		CRNR/DC/100 ORIGINAL: English DATE: December 23, 1996
WORLD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ORGANIZATION GENEVA

DIPLOMATIC CONFERENCE
ON
CERTAIN COPYRIGHT AND NEIGHBORING RIGHTS QUESTIONS

Geneva, December 2 to 20, 1996

RECOMMENDATION CONCERNING DATABASES

adopted by the Diplomatic Conference on December 20, 1996

The Delegations participating in the Diplomatic Conference on Certain Copyright and Neighboring Rights Questions in Geneva,

Recognizing that databases are a vital element in the development of a global information infrastructure;

Conscious of the importance of encouraging further development of databases;

Aware of the need to strike a balance between the interests of the producers of databases in protection from unfair copying and the interests of users in having appropriate access to the benefits of a global information infrastructure;

Expressing interest in examining further the possible implications and benefits of a sui generis system of protection of databases at the international level;

Noting that a treaty on such a sui generis system was not negotiated or adopted at the Conference;

Recommend the convocation of an extraordinary session of the competent WIPO Governing Bodies during the first quarter of 1997 to decide on the schedule of further preparatory work on a Treaty on Intellectual Property in Respect of Databases.

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