Namibia now leads Africa Group in negotiations for formulating norms for copyright limitations and exceptions

The Namibian Ambassador to Switzerland, Julia Imene-Chanduru, addressed the 66th series of annual meetings of the Assemblies of the Member States of the World Intellectual Property Office (WIPO), calling for the adoption of an international legal instrument on limitations and exceptions to copyright for libraries, research, museums, educational institutions and archives.

Namibia now leads African Group in negotiations for formulating norms for copyright limitations and exceptions

Namibia is for the first time serving as the coordinator of the African Group, established to represent the interests of African countries at the General Assembly of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO). The Namibian Ambassador for Switzerland, Julia Imene-Chanduru, who spoke for the African Group, addressed the 66th Session of the General Assembly in Geneva this year, calling for the adoption of an international legal instrument on limitations and exceptions to copyright for libraries, research, museums, educational institutions and archives. She described the issue as critically important for Africa.

The Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) has had the issue of copyright limitations and exceptions on its agenda for many years. An outcome of this was the Marrakesh Treaty, 2013, which facilitates access to published works for persons who are blind or otherwise print-disabled.

Since 2012, the General Assembly has tasked the SCCR to work toward a legal instrument, whether binding or non-binding, on limitations and exceptions for libraries, archives, museums, educational and research institutions and for persons with other disabilities.

In past sessions of the SCCR, it became evident that there is insufficient support globally for a binding instrument, which the African Group had called for. However, the African Group, led by Namibia, proposed at the SCCR this year that the SCCR return to drafting norms and that it focus on achieving an outline of objectives, principles and options for a possible instrument, even if non-binding.

In addition, Namibia supported a call from other member states to resume having two sessions of the SCCR each year, to facilitate deliberations for such a legal instrument.