Chile and Qatar ratify the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances

WIPO issued a press release today informing that the number of countries that have so far committed themselves to the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances (BTAP) has risen to eight, now that Chile has become the first Latin American state to sign up and Qatar has joined Syria and the United Arab Emirates in boosting commitment in the Middle East. FIA welcomes the ratification by the Republic of Chile and the State of Qatar of the BTAP, the international treaty concluded in 2012, acknowledging, for the first time, the intellectual property rights of performers with regard to their audiovisual performances.

 The BTAP is indeed the first of its kind granting a meaningful IP protection to audiovisual performances, with moral rights and economic rights adapted to both analogue and digital environments, but will enter into force only after ratification by 30 eligible countries. In order to encourage this process, FIA has published a simple and comprehensive guide to the treaty, as understanding the BTAP is key to promoting its value to decision-makers and helping the ratification process to continue to gather momentum. The BTAP Manual is available on FIA’s website here and will soon be featured on a specific mini website specifically dedicated to the Beijing Treaty ratification campaign to be launched by the end of 2015.