International protection of non-original databases; studies on the economic impact of the intellectual property protection of non-original databases

The Standing Committee of Copyright and Related Rights of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has been discussing the possibility of introducing intellectual property protection of non-original databases through new international norms. It has been examining whether databases that do not presently qualify for copyright protection should also be protected. On the other hand, it is pointed out that the need of the scientific, research and educational sectors and the issue of access to information should also be taken into account. For the use of the Standing Committee in its continued work on this issue, the Secretariat of WIPO commissioned six external consultants to prepare economic studies on the impact of the legal protection of nonoriginal databases. Keyword: Databases, Intellectual property protection