The WTO has always been great about letting us post official documents on WorldTradeLaw.net. We ask permission and they always grant it. However, I see WTO documents in various other places on the internet as well, and I would guess that at least some of these web sites have not asked permission before posting the documents. But I have not heard of the WTO ever raising concerns about the practice. By contrast, Intellectual Property Watch reports on some issues that have arisen with the WCO:
In an unusual policy for an international organisation, the World Customs Organization imposes copyright over every document its bodies produce, even agendas, which means that no document can be reproduced without the organisation’s express consent.
But now some member governments are questioning this practice, which they say was intended only for the organisation to protect the rights in publications made for sale or containing proprietary information, and is now blocking access to information about the organisation’s work.
I know that related issues have come up with domestic courts. It is hard to imagine that the eventual outcome will be anything other than a very limited scope for copyright of international organization documents, but it may take some time to get there.
