Take a selfie to call for the ratification of the Beijing Treaty on Word IP Day!

26 April 2017

A unique opportunity to speak up for audiovisual performers and call on better protection of their economic and moral rights is coming up this month. On April 26, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) celebrates the World Intellectual Property Day in order to promote discussion of the role of intellectual property (IP) in encouraging innovation and creativity.

FIA urges its worldwide membership to join the celebration by calling for the ratification of the WIPO Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances (BTAP), a multilateral treaty acknowledging for the first time the intellectual property rights of performers with regard to their audiovisual performances. ‘LET’S RATIFY NOW’ is the message we want performers to send out on World IP day by sharing selfie pictures. Here is how you can join the campaign:

Take a Selfie with our message calling for the ratification of the BTAP.

Whether you have social media accounts or not, you can participate by taking a simple picture while holding the message attached and send it directly to FIA

- Print out the ‘A4_Ratify_now’ document and take a picture with it

- Share it on your Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Website, using both Hashtags, #WorldIPDay and #BeijingTreaty, if you have social media accounts

- And/or send us your lovely picture with your name and country: website(at)fia-actors.com

Get all your members and fellow performers to join the campaign.

The Selfie Campaign initiated by FIA last year on World Intellectual Property Day has been a strong and visible success and we are eager to keep building on this momentum. The more artists join the campaign, the better we will be heard and finally make it happen! This is what you can do to spread the word:

- Write a short article, post or mailing to inform your members and friends about the Beijing Treaty campaign on World IP Day, Wednesday 26 April 2017

- Share the ‘Your performance, your rights’ flyer among your network to raise awareness, it is available in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese and Russian

- Insert a banner in your communications linking to the campaign website: www.beijingtreaty.com

Concluded in 2012, the Beijing treaty grants performers economic rights to improve their livelihoods and derive an acceptable income from the use of their work, and also awards them moral rights to protect their image and reputation. The WIPO member States may become parties to the Treaty, which shall become binding as a minimum threshold of 30 ratifications is reached. Of course, many more should follow if the Treaty is to become a true global norm. Audiovisual performers and their representative organisations therefore campaign for countries to embrace the provisions in the Treaty and make sure their national laws are in compliance with this new standard.