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CULTURE

World Anti-Piracy Observatory

About the Observatory

    Recognising the importance of balanced copyright protection in sustaining those involved in cultural creativity, members of the Intergovernmental Committee of the UNESCO Universal Copyright Convention at its 13th session in 2005 advised that the Organisation could usefully contribute to the fight against piracy by providing a platform for awareness-raising and information exchange.

    The World Anti-Piracy Observatory (WAPO) aims to serve as this online platform, providing information and best practices concerning the numerous legislative and non-legislative means to fight piracy. The first web-based resource of its kind, WAPO fills an existing information gap by presenting data that has so far been scattered among different sources or not available at all.

    WAPO fully takes stock of the diversity of national and regional situations and does not aim to establish a unique standard. Its main objective is to make available comprehensive, up-to-date and impartial data and information on legal, administrative and non-legislative anti-piracy policies, measures and mechanisms.

    WAPO is a valuable tool for national authorities that seek to improve their legal policies and frameworks, as national officials will now be able to access and effectively utilise approximately 100 examples of national solutions to piracy. It is also a useful reference tool for authors, creators and other right owners who need to enforce their rights in a foreign country.

    Most of the information is organised by country profiles, based on data provided by national authorities of Member States and local and regional experts. A network of partners from the private sector, authors’ societies and cultural industries associations also contributes to the regular updates of WAPO.

    A special emphasis is given to best practices, as well as freely downloadable awareness-raising tools and capacity-building initiatives, produced or organised by different stakeholders. In turn, WAPO references recent and diverse initiatives and news in the anti-piracy arena.

    WAPO can be accessed by the public, free of charge.  It is available in English, French and Spanish.