Intellectual Property Rights of Broadcasting Organizations

Broadcasting organizations are one of the main tools for publishing artistic and scientific works of authors in a widespread level. Recent developments in broadcasting and transferring signals in the space and invention of satellite, despite the advantages, caused the problem of signal piracy which infringes the rights of broadcasting organizations.
In most countries broadcaster’s rights are protected by different frameworks like copyright laws, related rights, unfair competition law, etc. The main conventions established in protecting broadcaster’s rights are Rome convention (1961) and Satellites convention (1974) which granted some rights including rebroadcasting, fixation, distribution and communication to public.
As a result of development of technology in recent years and also limitation of Rome convention to wireless broadcasting, there isn’t an adequate and appropriate protection of broadcasting organizations and a large part’s of their activities remains unprotected. Therefore, from 1998 the World Intellectual Property Organization started preparing a new convention about protection of broadcasting organization. This draft has not concluded yet because of disagreement between developed and developing countries about some main definitions and articles. In this article, legal situation of broadcasting organizations in national and international level in intellectual property system is studied.