Help us protect podcasting, again

Less than one year ago WIPO promised to re-draft its Broadcasting treaty. Member States, mindful of the harm it could cause to citizen-media, refused to grant new copyright-like rights to broadcasters and cablecasters. The new draft was issued in May, but – contrary to WIPO’s promise – it offers similar exclusive control to big media but offers no protection for internet users.

Please help the cause by signing the petition – it takes virtually no time at all. Beyond that, please write to your MPs. This tactic was really effective in last year’s campaign, especially when you ask your MP to pass on your concerns to the relevant minister. If you feel this issue and have time and energies to give, drop us a line and we’ll connect you with national and international groups campaigning around this issue.

Dean, who leads the UK Podcasters association says

“This inappropriate WIPO legislation is dangerous, and must not be allowed to pass into national law as it stands, or we risk seeing a vibrant industry saddled with restrictions and our individual rights handed wholesale to corporate broadcasters.”

This campaign is led by the EFF’s excellent Gwen Heinze. She says

“The exceptions … are far worse than this time last year … there’s no mention of webcasting or netcasting, but Broadcasters and cablecasters will get the right to control Internet retransmission of anything broadcast or cablecast. Therefore, podcasters won’t receive any rights under the treaty (only traditional broadcasters and cablecasters will), but podcasters are likely to be detrimentally affected by the treaty for a number of reasons. Put simply, from podcasters’ point of view, we are in the same place we were last year, but there’s an even stronger push to try to get the treaty through. If the current treaty draft is accepted by WIPO Member Countries next week, it moves to the next treaty stage – an intergovernmental Diplomatic Conference now scheduled in November.”

If you have any queries, drop them in the comments below or to the usual email address.