PLRI welcomes the WIPO SCOPING STUDY ON PUBLIC LENDING RIGHT
For the Forty-Fifth Session of the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR 45) in Geneva, April 15 to 19, 2024, the SCOPING STUDY ON PUBLIC LENDING RIGHT, prepared by Sabine Richly, MBA, LL.M, was presented and discussed. PLR International had constantly supported the corresponding proposal for a WIPO Scoping PLR Study by the Republics of Sierra Leone, Panama, and Malawi.
The presented scoping study by Sabine Richly (Digital Media Law) for the WIPO SCCR 45 offers a comparative analysis of PLR systems across different countries, with the goal to spot similarities, differences, and best practices within these global systems.
PLR International was honoured to provide perspectives and insights from schemes and monitorings on PLR, along with Nina George (EWC) and Nicole Pfister Fetz (EWC), Carola Streul (EVA), Anne Bergman-Tahon (FEP), Christina de Castell (IFLA), and Anita Huss (IFRRO).
From the summary
“The study demonstrates the adaptability of Public Lending Right (in the following: PLR) systems to diverse national cultural goals and economic contexts, as evidenced by the 35 systems currently in operation (“active systems”) and a number of systems in development worldwide. Most of these systems, reflecting a spectrum of policy objectives and national circumstances, exemplify the alignment of PLR with local needs. The establishment of a robust PLR system requires the close cooperation and collaborative efforts among government, library, and rightholder representatives to achieve meaningful compensation without straining library budgets.”
PLR International calls on WIPO Member States, to foster knowledge exchange on PLR such as regional seminars or advisory pools with the involvement of rights holders and PLR enablers, to support interested countries without PLR yet, to explore a tailor-made solution for their legal and budgetary environment.
To the study and annex
· STUDY https://www.wipo.int/edocs/mdocs/copyright/en/sccr_45/sccr_45_7.pdf
· STUDY in several international languages https://www.wipo.int/meetings/en/doc_details.jsp?doc_id=629405
· ANNEX: REPORTS OF COUNTRIES OPERATING AN ACTIVE PLR SYSTEM https://www.wipo.int/edocs/mdocs/copyright/en/sccr_45/sccr_45_7_annex.pdf