Wikipedia is one of the most widely used digital public goods, the only nonprofit website among the world’s top ten most visited ones, and a critical source of training data for artificial intelligence (AI) systems. The Foundation’s experience and perspective are essential to ensuring that global copyright policy reflects the public interest.
Our goal remains unchanged: to contribute to WIPO’s discussions with 25 years of practical experience in hosting free knowledge for everyone, everywhere, and fostering open and flexible copyright policies.
As a recognized observer at the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) since 2022, Wikimedia has contributed to shaping the Global Digital Compact, entrenching Wikipedia’s role as a valuable public interest platform in global policymaking. This commitment was reinforced this year when Wikipedia was officially recognized as a digital public good by the UN-endorsed Digital Public Goods Alliance in acknowledgment of its openness, support for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and public value. In addition, Wikimedia Commons — another Wikimedia project — continues to establish itself as the world’s largest repository of free and open digital media online.
China misrepresented Wikipedia’s volunteer-driven policies and practices, all of which are rooted in accuracy and neutrality and help effectively counter misinformation and disinformation online.
“Blocking Wikimedia’s participation at WIPO means overlooking how knowledge is actually created, shared, and reused at a global scale. This is particularly important as copyright rules evolve to meet the demands of AI,” said Stephen LaPorte, General Counsel at the Wikimedia Foundation. “In a digital world driven by for-profit interests, Wikimedia brings a much-needed public voice to help ensure knowledge remains human and copyright supports access to knowledge. We regret this decision and remain committed to seeking a constructive path forward.”
Wikimedia’s global volunteer community brings extensive, hands-on experience in moderating large-scale user-generated content. This expertise enables them to skillfully balance creators’ rights with public access to information. This community, along with the Wikimedia Foundation, offers valuable insights for shaping IP frameworks that promote both innovation and equitable access to information. China, as the only country to oppose the Wikimedia Foundation’s request for observer status, can still reconsider its position in the interest of global knowledge sharing and concerted efforts to realize the SDGs.
We urge WIPO Member States and leadership to help resolve this political impasse and reiterate the Foundation’s commitment to engaging in WIPO’s work. What is at stake are the global policies that can ensure that the future of the internet is a positive one: where everyone, everywhere, can freely and openly participate in the sum of all human knowledge. Wikimedia will continue to pursue accreditation and represent the people and communities who make free and open knowledge possible.
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About the Wikimedia Foundation
The Wikimedia Foundation is the nonprofit organization that operates Wikipedia and other Wikimedia free knowledge projects. Our vision is a world in which every single human can freely share in the sum of all knowledge. We believe that everyone has the potential to contribute something to our shared knowledge and that everyone should be able to access that knowledge freely. We host Wikipedia and the Wikimedia projects; build software experiences for reading, contributing, and sharing Wikimedia content; support the volunteer communities and partners who make Wikimedia possible. The Wikimedia Foundation is a United States 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization with offices in San Francisco, California, USA.
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