International Publishers Association

The International Publishers Association (IPA) is a non-governmental organization founded in 1896 to promote and protect the rights of publishers. It was founded in Paris, France, and is now based in Geneva, Switzerland.

The IPA believes that publishers should be able to produce the materials they choose without restrictions. It monitors freedom of expression violations and provides support for publishers or journalists who are being persecuted.

The IPA also provides information and training for its members on publishing-related issues, including the enforcement of copyrights and copyright legislation. Every other year, the IPA holds a Copyright Conference where its members discuss copyright issues.

The association is also combating illiteracy around the world through its support of World Book Day and by providing books to those in need.

Every year, the IPA awards the Publishers Freedom Prize to individuals who uphold and defend the freedom to publish.

Mission

"• To uphold and defend the right of publishers to publish and distribute the works of the mind in complete freedom."

"• To promote and protect by all lawful means the principles of copyright on which depends the encouragement of authorship, publishing and dissemination of creative works and to defend copyright against all infringements which may restrict the rights of authors and publishers. The protection of copyright is to publishing what the protection of patents and trademarks is to other industries. The economic importance of copyright is now well established."

"• To overcome illiteracy, the lack of books and of other education materials"

"• To assure the unrestricted import and export of books and other materials produced by publishers, encouraging all steps towards the elimination and reduction of taxes on books"(http://www.ipa-uie.org/ipa/ipa_id.html)

Members

The IPA has 78 members in 65 countries. [http://www.internationalpublishers.org/images/pdf/ABTIPA/ipa%20members.pdf] It accepts one organization per country as a member unless the country uses multiple languages and requires more than one organization. To become a member, an organization must agree with, and abide by, the IPA's mission. The IPA does not accept individual publishing companies as members.

The IPA is affiliated with the International Confederation of Music Publishers, the International Federation of Scholarly Publishers and the International Association of Scientific, Technical, and Medical Publishers (STM).

Committees

* Copyright Committee
* Freedom to Publish Committee
* International Publishers Copyright Council (IPCC) (in conjunction with the IASTMP)

Governing Bodies

The General Assembly is the governing body. The assembly is composed of two representatives from each country; each is allowed a vote in assembly decisions. Individual country associations vote to send their delegates. The assembly meets at least once a year, usually at the Frankfurt Book Fair. At the General Assembly, current issues and concerns in the publishing industry are discussed and positions taken.

The President is elected by the General Assembly and has a term of two years. He or she is the head of the General Assembly and the Executive Committee. The executive committee, composed of a select number of General Assembly members, formulates plans and policies for the General Assembly to discuss and vote on. The IPA also elects a Vice President and regional representatives. A Secretary General acts as the chief operating officer of the IPA and is its spokesperson and liaison.

Conferences

The IPA hosts a Copyright Conference and a Congress in alternating years. These are occasions for publishing industry professionals to get together and discuss their issues and concerns.

Freedom to Publish

One of the IPA's main goals is to protect the right of publishers to produce and distribute the materials they choose to. In other words, to protect their basic human right to freedom of expression. The IPA bases its beliefs on the following human rights standards:

*Article 19 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
*Article 19 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights
*Article 10 of the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms

The IPA website offers links to many websites dealing with the freedom to publish, such as AAP International's Freedom to Publish Committee, Amnesty International, and the International Freedom of Expression Exchange (IFEX).

The IPA began working with IFEX in 1994. IFEX was established in 1992 to combat all the offenses that were taking place against freedom of expression. It has 81 member organizations and monitors and reports violations using an Action Alert Network (AAN). This network allows members throughout the world to campaign against violations using tools such as letter writing campaigns, media coverage, and awareness-raising events. Many of the organizations' actions are focused on freeing imprisoned journalists and keeping journalists around the world safe.

Copyright

The IPA has a mission to protect copyrights and enforce copyright legislation. It works with other international groups to ensure that copyrights are not violated, while at the same time trying to ensure that freedom of expression is not hindered. With the increasing digitization and availability of materials on the internet the IPA has taken on the challenge of protecting copyrights in the digital arena.

Copyright Partnerships

World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)In March 2007 the IPA met with delegates from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and made a commitment to work together to protect copyright in a way that would still allow creativity to prosper. Dr. Kamil Idris, the Director General of the WIPO said, "The importance of copyright to the culture-based industries is undisputed. The challenge is to create a legal environment that allows these industries to flourish in a balanced way and keeps up with the technological advances that are driving new business models and distribution channels” (http://www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/articles/2007/article_0019.html). Cooperation between the IPA and WIPO will strengthen the position of publishers to combat copyright infringements and will help raise international awareness of copyright guidelines. [http://www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/articles/2007/article_0019.html]

PEN USAThe IPA has also collaborated with PEN USA. The groups issued a statement on the Google Print Library Project. [http://www.ipa-uie.org/copyright/Joint%20IPA-PEN%20Declaration%2020%20Oct%202005.htm] Both organizations are concerned that Google is disregarding the rights of authors and is violating basic copyright regulations. The declaration asserts the rights of an author to determine whether their work will be available in a digital format. The declaration also raises the concern that once materials are available digitally it is hard to monitor how many copies are produced, which is an infringement of copyright legislation. The IPA and PEN USA call for Google to obtain author permission before making works available in the Google Print Library Project. They also wish for Google to work more closely with authors to make sure that authors’ rights are not violated.

Free Book Circulation

Part of the IPA’s mission is to distribute free literary materials to those in need. To fulfill this mission the IPA works closely with UNESCO. The IPA supports the Florence Agreement on the Importation of Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Materials (1950) and the Nairobi Protocol (1976). These international treaties allow for the free circulation of educational, scientific, and cultural materials without customs fees. Ninety-eight countries around the world have signed the Florence Agreement. [http://www.unesco.org/culture/laws/florence/html_eng/page1.shtml]

The IPA also helped establish UNESCO’s World Book and Copyright Day. The purpose of this day is to "promote reading, publishing and the protection of intellectual property through copyright" [http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php-URL_ID=5125&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html] .

Press Releases/Articles

One of the main functions of the IPA is to inform its members of publishing related issues. The organization regularly publishes newsletters and press releases on current issues in the industry, such as the persecutions of publishers and journalists around the world. The IPA also provides legal assistance for publishers who are being prosecuted, lobbies for new legislation that supports the freedom to distribute information, and monitors the internet for copyright violations. It also produces papers and position statements on issues relating to copyright. [http://www.ipa-uie.org/news/news.html]

External links

* [http://www.ipa-uie.org International Publishers Association]
* [http://www.ifex.org International Freedom of Expression eXchange]
* [http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php-URL_ID=5125&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html UNESCO’s World Book and Copyright Day]
* [http://www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/articles/2007/article_0019.html World Intellectual Property Organization]
* [http://www.penusa.org PEN USA]

References

*International Freedom of Expression eXchange. Retrieved April 16, 2007, from http://ifex.org/en.
*International Publishers Association. Retrieved April 16, 2007, from http://www.ipa-uie.org
*PEN USA. Retrieved April 22, 2007, from http://penusa.org/go
*United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. Retrieved April 16, 2007, from http://portal.unesco.org/culture/en/ev.php-URL_ID=5125&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html
*World Intellectual Property Organization (2007, March 21). WIPO Director General Receives High Level International Publishers Delegation. Retrieved April 22, 2007, from http://www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/articles/2007/article_0019.html