It was announced in Thursday’s Federal Register that the USPTO and the United States Copyright Office (USCO) will be holding a public roundtable discussion regarding the World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) effort concerning the proposed Treaty on the Protection of the Rights of Broadcasting Organizations. The Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) at WIPO has been addressing issues regarding the intellectual property of broadcast organizations for several years now, noting that broadcasters currently have some protections under the 1961 Convention for the Protection of Performers, Producers of Phonograms and Broadcasting Organizations and the World Trade Organization’s Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights. The proposed Treaty considers information gathered from broadcasters, netcasters, internet service providers, telecommunications companies, and other related organizations to address how changes in technology have affected the field of broadcasting. This roundtable discussion, to be held at the Atrium Conference Room at the USPTO, will begin on September 5th at 1PM and will last for two hours. Participation information is included in the Federal Register link below.

Federal Register Excerpt: LINK
Revised Draft Basic Proposal for the Treaty (July 31, 2006 version):
LINK
WIPO “Copyright and Related Rights” Website: LINK