Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances

Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances

Parties to the convention
Signed	24 June 2012 (2012-06-24)
Location	Beijing, China
Effective	28 April 2020[1]
Condition	30 ratifications[2]
Signatories	74[1]
Parties	37 (As of December 2020)[1]
Depositaries	Secretary-General of WIPO
Languages	Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish (and any other language on the request of an interested party)

The Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances is a multilateral treaty which regulates copyright for audiovisual performances and expands the performers' rights. It was adopted on 26 June 2012 by the Diplomatic Conference on the Protection of Audiovisual Performances of the World Intellectual Property Organization, in which 156 WIPO member states, six intergovernmental, and six non-governmental organizations participated. Forty-eight countries signed the treaty on 26 June, followed by 19 other countries in 2012 and 2013. The treaty entered into force on 28 April 2020 following the receipt of the 30th ratification or accession and as of August 2021 has 42 contracting parties.^[1][3]

The treaty has been praised by artists' and performers rights advocates around the world as well as some activist nonprofits such as Knowledge Ecology International, but has also been criticized by some digital rights and free culture activists such as the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) as an infringement on free speech, and aiding censorship schemes.