September 28, 2011

The TRA actively participated in the 11th GSR edition that took place in Armenia city, Colombia on 21st - 23rd September 2011. Mrs. Mahassen Ajam, TRA Board Member and Head of ICAU moderated the session 8 on 23rd September 2011 about "Protecting the rights of stakeholders in the digital ecosystem". This session focused on the risks and challenges linked to the immediacy, pervasiveness and ever growing number of activities in the digital world. The discussion evolved around the role of regulators and the regulatory measures that could be taken to address those risks, the strategic role intellectual property rights (IPR) and content protection (copyrights) play in today’s ecosystem.

Mrs. Ajam opened the session by thanking the Minister of Telecommunications in Colombia for hosting the 11^th GSR edition as well as for his hospitality and launched the discussion by asking crucial questions such as

• Is content is a key element of the broadband ecosystem?
• Does Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and content protection play a strategic role in today digital ecosystem?
• Who’s responsible for IPR and protection of users in cyberspace?
  What is the role for the ICT regulator?
• Finally, what regulatory measures can be taken to address those risks?

Mrs. Ajam introduced Mr. Adam Denton, Author of GSR Discussion Paper on Intellectual Property Rights in today’s digital economy, who gave a presentation about “Intellectual Property Rights in the Digital Economy” where he detailed the areas of IPR that impact Telecom Regulators, reviewed the solutions to protect copyrights as well as the risks in the digital economy and explained the policy implications.

Further to the presentation, Mrs. Ajam moderated and animated the discussion with the panelists Mr. Salvat, Director of STA, Andorra, Mr. Michel Velez Nunez, Chairman NCT of Honduras and Mr. M. Jaziri, vice-president INTT Tunisia.

Mrs. Ajam closed the session by saying: “Even if Copyright is a new area for telecoms regulators, regulators know that, from one side, inadequate copyright protection can reduce incentives to create, and that excessive copyright protection can asphyxiate creativity, harm competition, halt innovation, and block free speech, from the other side. Thus, I invite you to think on how to ensure there is a balanced and proportionate mechanism for content owners, as well as for users, to address copyright violation”

To view the presentation of Mr. Adam Denton, click here
To view the full GSR programme, click here
To view the GSR documents, click here