Proposal Would Extend Broadcasters’ Rights

The World Intellectual Property Organization, a UN body, has produced a draft text for a treaty that would allow copyright protection over broadcast signals for 50 years, more than twice the time currently allowed in most countries, a move critics called a blatant power grab by media companies. The broadened control could also apply to Internet broadcasts.

Copyright law for broadcasters has not been updated since 1961 and the new treaty may extend to webcasters…Broadcasters say they need updated copyright protection to protect their investments against public distribution, especially on the Internet.

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