From: notes@igc.org ----------------------------------------------------------------- Info-Policy-Notes - A newsletter available from listproc@tap.org ----------------------------------------------------------------- October 29, 1996 A Primer On The Proposed WIPO Treaty On Database Extraction Rights That Will Be Considered In December 1996* James Love, Consumer Project on Technology Introduction The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) will consider in December 1996 a new treaty that would require most countries (including the United States) to severely curtail the public's rights to use pubic domain materials stored in "databases." Some experts say it is the "least balanced and most potentially anti- competitive intellectual property rights ever created." The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) is accepting public comments on this treaty, and a digital copyright treaty that is also troubling. Comments are due by November 22, 1996, and can be submitted by electronic mail to: diploconf@uspto.gov. Copies of the treaty, commentary, and the PTO federal register notice is available from http://www.public-domain.org. This memorandum provides background information on the treaty and the problems it presents. [Snip balance of excellent paper] James Love Consumer Project on Technology http://www.essential.org/cpt email: love@tap.org *HTML version at http://www.essential.org/cpt/ip/cpt-dbcom.html Ascii version formatted with 11 pt courier with 1 inch margins. This is my first take on the treaty, and I would appreciate comments and corrections. This is a very important matter that hasn't received much attention. jl ---------- We've put this primer at: http://jya.com/wipoprim.txt Thanks to James Love.