Delegates at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) ...

came at the end of a 3-day negotiating session. India, Brazil, and several African nations joined in resisting U.S. and European Union pressure for a speedy diplomatic conference, said Foundation for Information Policy Research Dir. Ian Brown. The treaty has engendered much controversy for several reasons, including a U.S. proposal to include webcasting and several technical protection measure (TPM) provisions, Brown said. But he said at this week’s meeting, “a long list” of delegates opposed extending broadcasting protections to webcasters. Delegates also agreed that the SCCR chmn. would prepare a revised consolidated draft treaty before the committee’s session Nov. 17-19, said Electronic Frontier Foundation attorney Gwen Hinze. The new document will show in brackets items on which limited consensus exists, she said. No changes were made to the current draft, which includes webcasting as an alternative provision, Hinze said. But given the less-than-enthusiastic support for including webcasting, it appears that provision will be bracketed in the next draft, she said. In addition, Hinze said, she hopes Art. 16, which deals with TPM, will be bracketed because of concerns from Brazil, Chile and India. At its next meeting, SCCR will recommend dates and necessary preparatory steps for a possible diplomatic conference on the basis of discussions on the revised text, and gauge whether it can reach agreement on a possible treaty at a subsequent meeting, Hinze said. If it appears the treaty is a go, she said, the SCCR may recommend that its chairman come up with a basic proposal for discussion at a diplomatic conference.