Brussels, 27/06/2012 (Agence Europe) - On Tuesday 26 June, the member countries of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) signed an international treaty on the protection of audiovisual interpretations and performances, known as the “Beijing Treaty”, the European Commission has announced in a press release. “The agreement reached on this treaty today in Beijing is very important because it is the first international treaty in the area of copyright concluded within the WIPO since 1996. It is also the first international intellectual property treaty signed in China”, said the competent commissioner, Michel Barnier. This new treaty lays down rules guaranteeing adequate protection and remuneration for artists and allowing their works to be used, both as regards the distribution of physical copies of their performances (for example on DVD) and on the internet. It puts an end to a form of discrimination in international law between artist-performers of audio works, who enjoy a specific protection regime, and performers of audiovisual works (mainly actors), who are subject to each individual national legislation, according to the specialist website Numerama.
Since 1996, two WIPO treaties laying down international intellectual protection rules have taken account of the needs of the digital era. Authors and musical performers (such as singers and musicians) benefit from this. An equivalent instrument for audiovisual interpreting or performing artists (such as actors) does not exist, the Commission states. It points out that in 2000, a conference in Geneva tried and failed to remedy this shortfall, “as it was impossible to reach agreement on the transfer of artists' rights for the benefit of audiovisual producers”. (SP/transl.fl)