Mr. Francis Gurry 34, Chemin des Colombettes CH-1211 Geneve 19 - Switzerland Madrid, 24 June 2011 Dear Francis, I hope you are well. With affection and strength I ask for WIPO’s protection and support against the attack suffered by music artists rights’ in the audiovisual sector. Today, surprisingly and unexpectedly and at the last minute of the session corresponding to the XXII meeting of the Standing Committee of Copyright and Related Rights, it has been proposed an Agreed Statement sponsored by some actors’ organizations in which music artists, are excluded from the Audiovisual Treaty, as rightholders in audiovisual works. This unfortunate and unfair proposal, as it involves a change of course detrimental to music artists is unacceptable because it means opening open a loophole in artists rights. During these fifteen years of debate and discussions nobody ever questioned the protection of music artists in the audiovisual, because of the meaning of the word itself, because of what it contains, because it is common sense and because both actors and musicians are involved in the audiovisual and this is unquestionable. Both must be protected. This has been accepted in all the conferences and writings that have been endorsed by all the intellectual property experts in the world. Sir, we are alarmed and we request WIPO, its Director General, the Director of the Copyright, the Member States and all organizations in the WIPO, the removal of the inappropriate and unfair proposal has just appeared in the meeting. If it is not removed and if the protection of music artists in the Audiovisual Treaty is not guaranteed, the institutions and organizations of music artists will oppose this treaty that hurts and humiliates their legitimate rights. It is known that we were the promoters and we actively participate in achieving the WPPT Treaty. In all our interventions, including the 1996 Diplomatic Conference, as stated in the minutes of WIPO we requested the extension of the WPPT to audiovisual. We continued for fifteen years requesting the protection of all audiovisual artists, musicians and actors, as it is stated in the minutes of WIPO. This absurd and sudden proposal damages the most elemental sense of justice and music artists can not tolerate it. I hope that WIPO would continue to defend artists rights’, for what it has been created and in which we have always relied. Time is short and we hope that the good work and diplomacy of WIPO bodies, know how to solve this annoying problem for the good of all. Waiting to be heard in our fair claims, I greet warmly on behalf of music artists.
Luis Cobos AIE, GIART and FILAIE President
AIE. Sociedad de Artistas de España. GIART. Grupo Europeo de Artistas. FILAIE Federación Iberolatinoamericana de Artistas. C/ Torrelara, 8 ‐ 28016 Madrid. Tel : 91 781 98 54 Fax : 91 781 95 54