US Didn't Sign The WIPO Treaty For The Blind

from the ah,-look-at-that dept

We were happy to see that the WIPO treaty for the visually impaired was finally completed and signed following the negotiations in Marrakech, where the MPAA did everything it could to try to kill or water down the agreement, with the US negotiating delegation acting as the MPAA's happy lap dogs. So, I guess it shouldn't be much of a surprise to see that while 51 countries signed the agreement in Marrakech, the United States was not among them.

Now, you can argue that the US should have time to look over the agreement, or maybe run it through Congress first -- but, of course, when it comes to agreements that simply expand copyright, such as ACTA, the US stepped right up to sign right away, without having any open discussion or asking Congress to approve it. Furthermore, merely signing the document is different from ratifying it, so the US could have signed the document, and decided whether to fully ratify it later if it was really concerned. But, instead, the US simply decided not to sign at all, even as other countries decided to do so.
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Filed Under: blind, marrakech, treaties, us, wipo treaty


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  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 12 Jul 2013 @ 12:34pm

    Disappointing but not surprising.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    CK20XX, 12 Jul 2013 @ 12:46pm

    "I'm beginning to wonder who's really the blind one around here."
    - Toph Beifong

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    jupiterkansas (profile), 12 Jul 2013 @ 12:46pm

    What are the consequences of the United States not signing?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

    • identicon
      john e miller, 12 Jul 2013 @ 2:20pm

      Re: Consequences of not signing

      None.

      link to this | view in chronology ]

      • identicon
        john e miller, 12 Jul 2013 @ 2:38pm

        Re: Consequences of not signing Take 2

        From Treaties.UN.org Website:

        By signature, the State has not expressed its consent to be bound by the treaty, which does not occur until the State ratifies, accepts or approves the treaty. Signature does mean that a State is obliged, in good faith, to refrain from acts that would defeat the object and purpose of the treaty (articles 18 of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties of 1969).

        link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 12 Jul 2013 @ 12:51pm

    The US will now be the first country to say that being as they never signed this treaty then this treaty is not lawful and valid in their eyes and will not be honoured at all.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 12 Jul 2013 @ 12:59pm

    Honestly the treaty was not very well designed for the american mess of a copyright system. It was much more appropriate for the far more clear and more oppressive european system.
    The thing that is desperately needed is a legal quantitative de minimus use of copyrighted material. That would go a long way in making the system less intolerable.

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Guardian, 12 Jul 2013 @ 4:51pm

    unless the nsa CAN SEE IT

    they aint wantin to be part of it

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 13 Jul 2013 @ 3:20am

    so, anyone want further proof of who is actually running the country and ultimately, trying/wanting to run the world? let's face it, think of how deep a pile of shit we would be in if we could never watch another movie or listen to another album. well, the world would just curl up and die!!

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • identicon
    Anonymous Coward, 13 Jul 2013 @ 8:09am

    So who DID it sign it for?

    link to this | view in chronology ]

  • icon
    Ninja (profile), 15 Jul 2013 @ 4:47am

    Must be though to be blind in the US eh?

    link to this | view in chronology ]


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