Trinidad and Tobago Joins Three WIPO Treaties
October 4, 2019Trinidad and Tobago has joined the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances, the Singapore Treaty on the Law of Trademarks and the Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons who are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled.
WIPO Director General Francis Gurry received the instruments of accession for the three treaties from Ambassador Makeda Antoine-Cambridge, Permanent Representative of Trinidad and Tobago to the UN Office and other International Organizations in Geneva.
Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances
Trinidad and Tobago is the 28th member of the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances, which will enter into force after it is joined by 30 contracting parties. The Beijing Treaty was adopted in June 2012. The Treaty deals with the IP rights of performers in audiovisual performances. It grants performers four kinds of economic rights for their performances fixed in audiovisual fixations, such as motion pictures. These are the right of reproduction, the right of distribution, the right of rental and the right of making available.
Singapore Treaty on the Law of Trademarks
Trinidad and Tobago is 50th member of the Singapore Treaty on the Law of Trademarks. The objective of the Singapore Treaty is to create a modern and dynamic international framework for the harmonization of administrative trademark registration procedures. Building on the Trademark Law Treaty of 1994, the Singapore Treaty has a wider scope of application and addresses more recent developments in the field of communication technologies. The Singapore Treaty is applicable to all types of marks registrable under the law of a given contracting party. Contracting parties are free to choose the means of communication with their offices (including communications in electronic form or by electronic means of transmittal).
Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons who are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled
Trinidad and Tobago is the 61st member of the Marrakesh Treaty, which covers 88 countries as the European Union joined as one entity. The Treaty was adopted on June 27, 2013 in Marrakesh and it forms part of the body of international copyright treaties administered by WIPO. It has a clear humanitarian and social development dimension and its main goal is to create a set of mandatory limitations and exceptions for the benefit of the blind, visually impaired, and otherwise print disabled (VIPs).