WIPO making progress on traditional knowledge

IFACCA/Artshub,
09 July 2002, Switzerland

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has reported that the third meeting of its Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (IGC), held in June, covered practical measures, as well as broader policy and legal issues concerning the protection of traditional knowledge. Outcomes of the meeting included:
  • Progress towards the creation of a searchable electronic database of relevant contractual practices and clauses
  • Initiation of a technical study of laws requiring the disclosure of genetic sources or traditional knowledge
  • The launch of a ‘portal’ of Traditional Knowledge Databases
  • Agreement on a program of co-operation on documentation of traditional knowledge in the public domain
  • Substantial policy discussion on the range of legal options for protecting traditional knowledge
  • The commission of studies on national experiences of the protection of folklore, via existing IP systems or specific legislation These outcomes will form the basis for further work by the IGC at its next meeting, in December 2002. The committee also welcomed WIPO’s co-operation with the newly-established United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. WIPO’s portal of Traditional Knowledge Databases is available online at: www.wipo.int/globalissues/tk/tkportal/index.html