The American Association of Law Libraries, the American Library Association, the Association of Research Libraries, and the Special Libraries Association joined some 500 organizations and individuals in backing the Geneva Declaration on the Future of the World Intellectual Property Organization drafted in September by a group of academics and representatives from nonprofit organizations. In a press release, the library groups expressed concern about “a number of trends that have combined to limit access to knowledge,” such as lengthening copyright terms and efforts to develop protections for databases containing public domain material.
“We urge WIPO to affirmatively seek to balance the rights of creators with the rights of users,” the groups said. “Our organizations look forward to working with WIPO and the international library community to develop an agenda that will both promote the protection of intellectual property and, at the same time, encourage access to knowledge and international growth and development.”
Posted October 1, 2004.