Endorsed/Submitted/Signed February 1, 2023
The Software Preservation Network joined allies from the global Access to Knowledge Coalition in a letter stating our views on the agenda of the 43rd meeting of the World Intellectual Property Organization’s Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR/43/1) that will take place in Geneva from 12-17 March 2023. In brief, the letter endorses a work plan proposed by the African Group that would include clarifying and strengthening the rights of libraries and archives and of educational institutions. Among the specific priorities in the proposal is “to ensure that all laws enable the preservation activities of libraries, archives, and museums, including the use of preserved materials across borders.” The letter also urges WIPO to revise a draft Broadcast Treaty that would otherwise pose needless new barriers to access and preservation if adopted as-is.
As a distributed community of institutions and practitioners engaged in software preservation worldwide, SPN and its members are committed to promoting legal reforms that would enable preservation of software globally, especially across borders. The task of software preservation is necessarily global and collaborative, and we need clear and fair rules to permit us to do this work together. Working with our allies in the A2K Coalition, SPN is providing important feedback to global policy making bodies to promote a more balanced copyright system worldwide.
To learn more about the A2K Coalition and the need for a more balanced global copyright system, visit the A2K website: https://www.a2k-coalition.org/.