[JURIST] Negotiations to establish an international broadcasting treaty at the Second Special Session of the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) [materials] failed Friday, as US and European delegations were unable to overcome fundamental differences concerning the extent anti-piracy protections should protect the retransmission of content. European delegations wanted to protect the content of the transmission, giving broadcasters more protection even for content they did not produce. The US delegation wanted a more narrow anti-piracy protection limited to the signal, which telecommunication companies and consumer advocates say would allow more technological innovation and freedom of use.
The summit, which was held at the UN World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) [official website] in Geneva, Switzerland, was intended to pave the way for a summit scheduled for November where states are hoping to approve a comprehensive international broadcasting treaty. AP has more.