Constance Bommelaer, Director, Public Policy
20-26 June, Beijing
It is a great pleasure for the Internet Society to be here, in Beijing, for the WIPO Diplomatic Conference on the Protection of Audiovisual Performances.
We would like to thank the People’s Republic of China, the United Nations and all members and observers who have contributed to bringing us together today.
We welcome the commitment of WIPO member states to introduce international rules to provide adequate and balanced solutions for the protection of performers in their audiovisual performances. At this point in time, it is critical to take into account new economic, social and technological developments – such as the Internet and the digital revolution.
ISOC is a nonprofit organization founded in 1992. Its mission is to promote the open development, evolution, and use of the Internet around the world.
We facilitate open development of standards, protocols, and the technical infrastructure of the Internet. ISOC also supports education and public policy development, especially in developing countries.
The Internet Society is embedded in a fabric of organizations forming the Internet technical community, such as the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and ICANN. We work with governments, national and international organizations, civil society and the private sector to pursue our objectives in a collaborative and inclusive manner. This is what we call “the multi-stakeholder model of the Internet Ecosystem”.
As WIPO member states elaborate their policy frameworks, we invite them to engage with all stakeholders to ensure that the human capacities that are enabled by the Internet are preserved, including:
The ability to connect: In an information society, to support human development and protect human rights, all people need to have affordable access to an open and neutral network, and to the services that it provides.
The ability to communicate: By enabling communication on an unprecedented scale, the Internet is a revolutionary medium for expression and collaboration. Genuinely free communication can only be guaranteed when privacy and anonymity are assured in principle.
The ability to innovate, without permission: The remarkable growth of the Internet and its applications follow directly from the open model of Internet connectivity and standards development.
The ability to share: The Internet is based on a “many-to-many” architecture, making it a powerful tool for learning, sharing and collaborating. This characteristic must be protected by fostering balance in intellectual property frameworks. Specifically, we call for fair and equitable IPR frameworks that respect the broader public interest.
It is important that governments implementing policies with a role for Internet intermediaries do so in a transparent and consistent manner that respects fundamental rights and the due process of law.
Coherent policies at national and international levels are needed to minimize uncertainty for Internet intermediaries and other stakeholders, and to foster Internet access and use, online innovation, investment, competition, and the free flow of information across borders.
As they build their policy frameworks, we encourage WIPO member states to join us in supporting these fundamental principles
Thank you very much.