During the 46th Asia-Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) General Assembly, regional public broadcasters threw their support behind a call to lobby governments to adopt a proposed World Intellectual Property Rights (WIPO) Treaty on the Protection of Broadcasting Organizations.
The WIPO Broadcasters’ Treaty, according to its backers, would ensure adequate legal protection for broadcasters against signal theft or other forms of unauthorized misappropriation on an international level.
Critics say the treaty is a broad claim of rights and control that would muddy existing copyright ownership in some cases, as well as call into question the legality of personal video recorders, such as TiVo units.
During the ABU meeting in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, the broadcasters also adopted the Ulaanbaatar Declaration on Climate Change through which members resolved to expand public knowledge and understanding about climate change and its solutions.
