Broadcasting Antipiracy Treaty Push Draws Telecom Group Backlash

Several technology and telecommunications industry associations are pushing back against what they call “renewed efforts” to create a broadcasting treaty at the World Intellectual Property Organization to prevent piracy, expressing their concerns in a letter to the US Patent and Trademark Office.

In the letter sent on Tuesday, USTelecom, ACA Connects, Consumer Technology Association, CTIA, and NTCA—The Rural Broadband Association told the PTO that the current treaty draft language—introduced in May of this year—is overbroad and “creates a broad new set of exclusive IP-like rights for broadcast signals” which could be exploited by broadcast organizations and may lead to changes ...