SIIP and UNESCO discussed raising awareness of copyright and related rights
Representatives of
the Chamber for the Protection of Copyrights of Artists, Creators and
Performers held a meeting with the UNESCO Culture Programme Officer Muhayyo
Makhmudova in Tashkent to discuss measures of cooperation between the Chamber
and the UNESCO Office in Uzbekistan in the field of raising awareness of
copyright and related rights in the Republic of Uzbekistan.
The executive
director of the Chamber Bakhtiyor Usmanov informed in detail about the
established Chamber, its main goals, development strategy, and ongoing work in
disseminating knowledge about copyright and related rights. He emphasised that
the Chamber specialists conduct various pieces of training and workshops for
authors and users. Head of the Department of International Relations and
Information Olesya Romashko noted the high-level partnership with sister
societies around the world. to create favorable conditions for the development
of cooperation, the Chamber held the International Conference " Copyright
Management of the Authors and Other Right Holders at the Regional Level:
Problems and Solutions" in October 2022. It gathered together
representatives of the Copyright Societies of Europe, the Caucasus, and Asia
and representatives of CISAC and WIPO. The main attention was paid to the core
challenges and threats in the field of copyright, identification of measures to
ensure the legal use of works and objects of related rights, as well as
education and legal literacy in this field.
Muhayyo Makhmudova
appreciated the detailed information about the Chamber's activities and
provided information about the activities of UNESCO, opportunities for
cooperation in the field of copyright, and possible interaction to develop
further programmes to raise awareness in this field.
International conference " Copyright Management of the Authors and Other Right Holders at the Regional Level: Problems and Solutions"
The International
Conference on "Copyright Management of the Authors and Other Right Holders
at the Regional Level: Problems and Solutions" was held in Samarkand
during October 10 - 11, 2022. It was
organized by the NGO "Chamber for the Protection of Copyrights of Artists,
Creators and Performers" in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture of
the Republic of Uzbekistan.
The purposes of
the conference are to expand international relations within the framework of
cooperation agreements concluded between organizations, which manage copyright
and related rights on a collective basis in foreign countries, to establish a
system for the practical application of concluded reciprocal agreements, to
develop mechanisms for managing copyright in the region and abroad, to provide
fulfillment of international obligations of our republic in the field of
finding ways to expand information exchange among organizations.
The conference was
attended by representatives of organizations that manage the property rights of
authors and related rights on a collective basis from Kazakhstan, Moldova,
Georgia, Sweden, and the Czech Republic, as well as representatives of the
World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO - Geneva) and the Azerbaijan
Organization, who participated remotely via the ZOOM platform.
Today, our
republic implements a state policy in the field of protection of authors,
performers, and other copyright holders. By implementing the international
experience, the current copyright legislation is being improved, effective work
is being carried out to combat violations and restore violated rights, as well
as a system for managing the property rights of right holders on a collective
basis, has been introduced. As a result of it, the NGO “Chamber for the
Protection of Copyrights of Artists, Creators and Performers” was established
as an organization that manages property rights on a collective basis (the
Decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan No. PF-6000). The Chamber
works in constructive cooperation with the relevant ministries and departments
to protect authors and reduce copyright piracy.
Uzbekistan is a
party to 5 international conventions and several intergovernmental agreements
relating to the protection of copyright and related rights. Accordingly, national
legislation is constantly being improved. The event provided detailed
information on the legislation of other countries in this area.
The conference
featured reports and speeches by well-known foreign and domestic scientists,
international experts, and specialists. The participants emphasized the key
issues in the field of copyright: the lack of practitioners and scientists in
the field; the high percentage of unauthorized and arbitrary use of works;
difficulties in collecting the appropriate fees when using the works of authors
and performers. It was also noted that the share of intellectual property in
the economies of countries remains low. To conclude, the participants
underlined, the cooperation between CMOs has to be increased.
As a result of the
conference, an agreement was reached on further strengthening international
cooperation in the field, introducing modern and effective mechanisms, taking
into account the realities and conditions of the digital environment in the
world, strengthening the exchange of information, improving current legislation
based on an in-depth study of foreign experience, as well as conducting human
rights work and expanding cooperation.
SIIP Strengthens Copyright Cooperation
The first
cooperation meeting between representatives of the George Washington University
(USA) and the Chamber for the Protection of Copyrights of Artists, Creators and
Performers (Uzbekistan) was held on 13 September 2022 to exchange experiences
regarding the field of copyright and intellectual property.
The purpose of
this meeting was to discuss issues related to the study of the legal and
judicial system in the field of copyright and related rights, and the
development of legislation in the field of intellectual property.
During the
meeting, discussions were held on the issues of litigation and mediation,
education and legal literacy of the population in the field of copyright
protection. The participants supported the agreement to continue cooperation in
the educational field and the development of the institution of mediation on
copyright and related rights.
Professor B.
Toshev, Chairman of the Chamber, noted: “Today, SIIP is actively working in the
field of education for legal professionals, as well as for users and right
holders. At the same time, we can
observe a shortage of specialists in the field of copyright protection
and specialized literature.”
UZBEKISTAN AND MOLDOVA: COOPERATION IN THE FIELD OF COPYRIGHT PROTECTION
The second meeting of the Societies for the Collective
Management of the Property Rights of Authors from the Countries of Eastern
Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia was held in Baku (Azerbaijan) on July 22,
2022, during which representatives of
the Chamber for the Protection of Copyrights of artists, creators and
performers (“SIIP”, Republic of Uzbekistan), the National Association “Copyright” (ANCO, Republic of Moldova) and
the National Association of Phonogram Producers and Performers (“ANPFI”,
Republic of Moldova) negotiated. The main goal of the negotiations was to
establish further fruitful cooperation and sign bilateral agreements on mutual
representation for managing the rights of authors and performers.
As emphasized by the CEO of ANCO Oleg Gutyum, “Our
goal is to establish mutually beneficial cooperation in the field of protection
of copyright and related rights. We noticed, Uzbekistan was taken all measures to
strengthen the protection of the rights of authors. By held several meetings
both online and offline, we were convinced that SIIP is a reliable partner. We
are ready to openly and fruitfully cooperate with SIIP representatives and not
only represent each other's interests in our republics, but also provide legal
support and assistance, as well as exchange experience.”
Bilateral agreements concluded with representatives of
“Copyright” and “ANPFI” entitle SIIP to represent the interests of Moldovan
authors, performers and producers of phonograms on the territory of the
Republic of Uzbekistan. And it is mutual beneficial for copyright holders, as
representatives of Moldovan Societies entitled to represent the interests of
Uzbek authors and performers on territory of Moldova. In addition, the
agreements concluded contribute to the establishment of cooperation in the
educational and communication fields on the protection of copyright and related
rights, as well as the exchange of experience and the further development of
legislation.
MoC on Protection of Copyright and Realted Rights signed between Uzbekistan and Azerbaijan
MoC on Protection of Copyright and Realted Rights was signed between the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Uzbekistan and Intellectual Property Agency of the Republic of Azerbaijan on June 2, 2022. The signing ceremony was held as a part of the Uzbek-Azerbaijani business forum in Tashkent.
The key components of document includes coordination of activities in the field of copyright and related rights, exchange of information, timely detection of violations and taking appropriate measures.
The MoC establishes a basis for regularly exchange of the information on acts of legislation in the field of protection of copyright and related rights, amendments made to them and other innovations in this direction between parties.
According to the document, parties plan to implement measures to improve the skills of employees involved in the protection of copyright and related rights, and representatives of public organizations for the protection of property rights of authors and other creators, as well as for the mutual exchange of experience in these areas.
Department of Public Relations of the Ministry of Justice
Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works
The Berne Convention,
which was adopted in 1886, deals with the protection of works and the rights of
their authors. The Berne Convention was revised at Paris in 1896 and Berlin in
1908, completed at Berne in 1914, revised at Rome in 1928, at Brussels in 1948,
at Stockholm in 1967 and at Paris in 1971, and it was amended in 1979. The UK ratified
it in 1887, but
did not implement large parts of it for nearly 100 years and did it with the
passage with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act (1988).
The Berne
Convention deals with the protection of works and the rights of their authors. The
Convention provides creators, such as writers, musicians, poets, artists, etc.,
with tools by which they can control how, by whom and under what conditions
their works are used. It is based on three main principles and contains a
number of provisions defining the minimum level of protection, as well as
special provisions for developing countries that that want to make use of them.
It is based on three main principles (national treatment, independence of
protection, automatic protection).
The Berne
Convention is currently in force and administered by the World Intellectual
Property Organization (WIPO).
While the
convention grants author a number of rights, the most important aspect of the
Berne Convention is that countries must grant an author who is a citizen of
another member state the same protection as it offers its own citizens in
addition to any rights that the convention grants. In other words, the work of
a French citizen in Poland or Morocco automatically possesses the same
protection as the work of a citizen of Poland or Morocco.
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