MILESTONE TREATY TO PROTECT THE RIGHTS OF AUDIOVISUAL PERFORMERS SIGNED AT THE WORLD INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY ORGANIZATION (WIPO) DIPLOMATIC CONFERENCE IN BEIJING 

• During the Diplomatic Conference held in Beijing, China, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) adopted a landmark treaty today that protects the rights of audiovisual performers.

• The Director General  of the National Copyright Institute (INDAUTOR), Dr. Manuel Guerra Zamarro, the elected president of the Main Committee I of the Diplomatic Conference, signed ad referendum and on behalf of Mexico, the new WIPO Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances. 

After more than 15 years of difficult negotiations in which Mexico played an active and constructive role, WIPO met in Beijing from June 20-26 at a Diplomatic Conference on the Protection of Audiovisual Performances.  The member countries of WIPO, with active participation of the film industry and various associations of performers, were able to complete the negotiation of a new international treaty.

The negotiations on the treaty’s substantive issues were led by the Director General of the National Copyright Institute (INDAUTOR), Dr. Manuel Guerra Zamarro, who was elected by acclamation as President of one of the two Main Committees of the Conference. In addition, the Mexican delegation presented proposals during the negotiating process to help reach a consensus on the most controversial issues.

Mexico’s constructive role in the negotiations was widely recognized at the Beijing Conference by the other countries present, the audiovisual industry and civil society, and particularly by the performers.
 The treaty adopted at the Diplomatic Conference in Beijing will ensure effective international protection for audiovisual performances, both in the traditional and digital media. The global arts community has expressed great satisfaction at the recognition of their rights and the fact that they have been updated in this digital age.

The Mexican delegation included officials from INDAUTOR and the Foreign Ministry, whose work was fundamental to the successful conclusion of negotiations.

The Spanish text of the new treaty can be seen at:
http://www.wipo.int/meetings/en/doc_details.jsp?doc_id=208966