Fathi Al Biss, President of the Union of Jordanian Publishers and Hugo Setzer, President of the International Publishers Association brought the curtain down after two days of intense and productive discussions covering everything from how Arab publishers can seize the opportunities of digital tools for distribution and education to how publishers can play their role in the humanitarian crises in the region and beyond.
When the names and titles of the Commissioners forming the team of President-elect Ursula von der Leyen were finally announced, most of the observers including Anne Bergmann at the Federation of European Publishers were dismayed, why was culture missing?
Brazil’s State Secretariat for Culture held a public consultation to assess the need to review the Brazilian Copyright Act 1998. The consultation, which closed on September 15, 2019, aimed at establishing priorities among options such as modernizing copyright for the digital era, regulating collective management and adopting WIPO’s Internet Treaties.
Following legislative change in the European Union (EU) on 2 October 2018, EU Member States continue to reduce VAT rates for eBooks and audiobooks, often aligning them with physical books. Slovenia and Poland are the latest countries to act while the Publishers Association in the UK Campaigns hard.
Close scrutiny showed a more complex but also more positive answer for both the UK and US.
IPA D&I envoy, Michiel Kolman interviews Elsevier’s Simon Holt and Springer Nature’s Kirsty Bone about their experiences of having a disability and working in the publishing industry. This is a long but fascinating read.
October and the first days of November were again very busy, with visits to four different countries and three book fairs in the course of three weeks.
SCCR 39 concluded this evening with an agreement found on how to keep the Exceptions and Limitations discussion moving forward and the other agenda items wrapped up and a possible new issue raised in the chamber.
The second day of discussions on the broadcasting treaty were mainly conducted behind closed doors with the plenary chamber finally filling at 17:40 for a presentation of conclusions.
The first day closed with Dr Kenneth Crews waiting to be grilled by delegates and observers. He was given the opportunity this morning, but the highlights today were the side events and the ripples from some late-night messages to delegates.