PRESS RELEASE FOR 27 APRIL 2020
Leading library, archives, and museum organizations call on WIPO to help safeguard
cultural heritage
April 26 is World Intellectual Property Day, established by the World Intellectual Property
Organization (WIPO) to publicize how copyright, patents, trademarks, and designs affect the world.
Their focus this year is on innovating towards a “green future.” This is a welcome goal, but we must
not forget the threat to the world's cultural heritage posed by the disastrous effects of climate change,and aggravated by the lack of appropriate copyright legislation supporting the institutions that preserve
our common knowledge and heritage.
That is why the world's leading library, archives, and museums organizations are calling on
WIPO and its Member States to respond to the need for international copyright laws that will empower
these cultural institutions to prevent further loss of worldwide cultural heritage due to rising sea levels,
extreme weather events, and other disasters linked to global warming.
“As the effects of climate change become more common, our heritage will continue to suffer
irretrievable losses,” said Winston Tabb, head of the libraries delegation. “Tragically, this is alreadyhappening in many countries. These threats to our collective memory can be addressed by making
preservation copies; but the global patchwork of inconsistent, inexistent and inadequate copyright laws
stands in the way.”
At regional seminars and an international conference organized by WIPO in 2019, a consensus
emerged that copyright exceptions play a key role in enabling heritage institutions to make preservation
copies of works in libraries, archives, and museums. WIPO Member States have the power to supportinternational action in favor of preservation copying, thus providing heritage institutions with the legal
certainty needed to safeguard our heritage.
The attached Open Letter is intended to raise awareness of the need for copyright laws that

support, rather than hinder, efforts to preserve the world's heritage. It calls on WIPO and its Member
States to take national and international action, without which heritage institutions will unable toprevent the irretrievable loss of many of the world's cultural treasures. A way forward must be found toenable the world's heritage institutions to make and preserve copies of works using all available tools
without fear of copyright barriers.
The five organizations behind this effort— International Federation of Library Associations andInstitutions (IFLA), the International Council on Archives (ICA), the International Council onMuseums (ICOM), Electronic Information for Libraries (EIFL), and the Society of American Archivists(SAA)—invite all heritage organizations around the world and other organisations that share our goals
to sign this open letter [link], to share it on social media and other communications channels, and tocall on their national authorities to support its messages in their engagement at WIPO.
Even as the world responds to immediate crises such as COVID-19, we cannot forget the longterm global threat of climate change. We must act now to safeguard our heritage.
List of signatories: here
To sign the letter: here