WIPO copyright negotiations will not produce a new treaty this year. At the 68th WIPO Assemblies, held in Geneva from 7 to 15 July 2026, the General Assembly took note of the report on the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) and directed it to keep working on all open issues: the broadcasting treaty, limitations and exceptions, and copyright in the digital environment, including AI. For companies that create or license content across borders, protection still depends on the Berne Convention and on each country’s law.
Update (October 2026): WIPO’s List of Decisions of the 68th Assemblies, dated 25 September 2026, confirms the SCCR decision and the Marrakesh Treaty Assembly’s note on the status of the Treaty; the final reports were deemed adopted on 25 September 2026. WIPO, List of Decisions A/68.
Key takeaways
- The General Assembly took note and asked the SCCR to continue; no diplomatic conference was convened.
- The draft Broadcasting Organizations Treaty, under discussion since 1998, still has three blocks of open issues.
- Work on exceptions for libraries, archives, education and persons with other disabilities continues without an agreed text.
- A WIPO scoping study on AI training and copyright is due for substantive discussion at the next SCCR session, from 30 November to 4 December 2026.
What did the 2026 WIPO Assemblies decide on copyright?
According to the Summary Report of the Assemblies (A/68/9, 15 July 2026), the WIPO General Assembly took note of the “Report on the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights” (document WO/GA/60/3) and directed the SCCR to continue its work on all ongoing issues reported in it. The Marrakesh Treaty Assembly took note of the status of that treaty.
That is the same formula used in 2025, as the SCCR report of 30 June 2026 recalls. In practice, it means there is no new international instrument on copyright in sight for 2026, and no date for a diplomatic conference, the formal meeting where a treaty would be adopted.
Where do the WIPO copyright negotiations stand?
The SCCR met twice since the 2025 Assemblies: from 1 to 5 December 2025 and from 18 to 22 May 2026. The state of each file, according to the report and the Chair’s summaries attached to it:
| Topic | Where it stands | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| Broadcasting Organizations Treaty | Revised Chair’s draft (SCCR/48/3); open issues on the rights in Articles 7 and 8 and their link with exceptions, national treatment and reciprocity, and Article 3.6 | Options paper and revised text for SCCR/49 |
| Exceptions for libraries and archives, education and research, persons with other disabilities | Discussion on proposals from the African Group, the Chair and the United States; WIPO’s Legal Counsel presented possible forms of instrument | Chair’s paper on preservation, disabilities and education |
| Copyright in the digital environment | GRULAC draft work plan; Indonesian draft elements on royalty governance; information sessions on generative AI | Substantive discussion of the scoping study on AI training |
The broadcasting treaty
Updating the protection of broadcasting organisations has been on every SCCR agenda since 1998. In May 2026 the Committee worked on a further revised draft and identified three areas still needing in-depth discussion before any agreement on convening a diplomatic conference. The Chair will prepare a separate document with options for the 49th session.
Limitations and exceptions
Exceptions for libraries and archives, educational and research institutions and persons with other disabilities have been on the agenda of every session since 2012. The Chair will prepare an informal document on preservation, persons with other disabilities and education, and a toolkit on access to the collections of libraries, archives and museums (SCCR/48/5) was finalised.
AI and the digital environment
In December 2025 the SCCR asked the Secretariat for a study on policy and regulatory approaches to AI training and copyright, including authorisation, enforcement and compensation. Member States agreed to dedicate time to it at SCCR/49, alongside an information-sharing session on generative AI.
Why the Marrakesh Treaty matters for publishers
The Marrakesh Treaty requires exceptions so that accessible-format copies of published works can be made and exchanged across borders for people who are blind, visually impaired or otherwise print disabled. It entered into force on 30 September 2016. According to the status report of 5 May 2026, as of 30 March 2026 102 WIPO Member States and the European Union had joined, covering 129 countries. In the corridor, they include the EU, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Peru, Morocco, Nigeria and Kenya.
What this means for your business
- Plan country by country. Under the Berne Convention, protection is automatic and each country grants foreign works national treatment, but exceptions, terms and remedies remain national.
- For AI training, rely on national rules and contracts, not on a future treaty: there is no international instrument and none was scheduled at the Assemblies.
- Broadcasters and sports rights holders should keep enforcing signal piracy through national law and platform procedures.
If your catalogue or software is licensed in several markets, our cross-border copyright protection service can map the rules that apply in each one.
When to bring in an adviser
- Assuming an international standard exists. Without a treaty, AI training, broadcasting and exceptions are governed by each country.
- Using one licence template for all markets, without checking local exceptions and collective management.
- Planning around expected treaties. Negotiations such as the broadcasting treaty have run for decades.
- Overlooking regulation: in the EU, AI rules interact with copyright, and within the same group we also advise on the AI Act and digital assets.
Frequently asked questions
Did WIPO adopt a new copyright treaty in 2026?
No. At the 68th Assemblies, held from 7 to 15 July 2026, the General Assembly took note of the SCCR report and directed the Committee to continue its work on all ongoing issues. No diplomatic conference was convened for the broadcasting treaty or for limitations and exceptions.
Is WIPO working on AI and copyright?
Yes, at the discussion stage. The SCCR has held information sessions on generative AI and commissioned a scoping study on AI training and copyright, which Member States agreed to discuss in depth at the 49th session, scheduled from 30 November to 4 December 2026. There is no negotiating text on AI.
How is my work protected abroad without a new treaty?
Mainly through the Berne Convention, which requires member countries to protect foreign works as they protect their own, without formalities, and through each country’s copyright law. Exceptions, terms and enforcement differ, so cross-border projects still need a country-by-country review.
Can IP Global Guard manage our copyright strategy across several countries?
Yes. We review your catalogue, licences and enforcement needs, coordinate qualified local correspondents in Latin America and Africa and keep one strategy for Europe and the rest of the corridor, with a single point of contact.
How IP Global Guard can help while the rules stay national
IP Global Guard, the IP services line of META Channel Corporation Limited, coordinates copyright protection, licensing and enforcement across more than 25 jurisdictions in Europe, Latin America and Africa, with one strategy and one billing relationship; see our coverage across the corridor.
Send us the list of markets where you publish, broadcast or train models and the works involved. We will tell you which national rules apply and where your licences need adjusting. Get in touch with our copyright team.
This article is general information, not legal advice, and reflects the position on its publication date.
Sources
- WIPO, Summary Report of the 68th Assemblies, A/68/9 (15 July 2026)
- WIPO, Report on the SCCR, WO/GA/60/3, with Chair’s summaries of SCCR/47 and SCCR/48 (30 June 2026)
- WIPO, Status of the Marrakesh Treaty, MVT/A/11/1 (5 May 2026)
- WIPO, Summary of the Berne Convention
- WIPO, List of Decisions of the 68th Assemblies (25 September 2026; update only)
