WIPO

["Christian Beauprez" <beauprez@beauprez.fsnet.co.uk>]

Dear Pieter,

 

Off the top of my head (please excuse any innaccuracies)

 

WIPO is shorthand for the World Intellectual Property Organisation. It is the Intellectual property arm of the U.N.

 

WIPO and the World Trade Organisation work together on most issues these days as  they are founded on similar principles.

 

While the EU is not a member of WIPO itself,(at least not on the membership documents I have seen) it has however signed the WIPO copyright Treaty. It did this as the European Communities, some states get a seperate mention. I think this is just a quirk of how the EC/EU signs treaties.

 

http://www.wipo.int/edocs/notdocs/en/wct/treaty_wct_2.html

 

In regards to the power of these Treaties. They are effectively fair play restrictions that countries agree on to stop unfair advantages and market distortions.  It is up to countries whether to sign up in the first place but by doing so they establish a level playing field on key issues of intellectual property. The payoff is internationally hightened market confidence(this is how it is supposed to work anyway)

 

The other side is that they do lose some control over how to set their property laws but compromise  is a necessary part of any international agreement. If countries breach these agreements they can be taken to a review board and sanctions may be issued.

 

You may find the WIPO copyright treaty here:

 

http://www.wipo.int/documents/en/diplconf/distrib/94dc.htm

 

The best thing about these Treaties is that they define computer programs as literary works and not inventions, and also make members agree to respect authors rights IMHO. Therefore they ensure that the ideas within software are no one person's "property" much to the annoyance of the pro-patent army.

 

Best Wishes,

 

Christian

 

 

 

 

 

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