Bridges Trade BioRes • Volume 7 • Number 17 • 5th October 2007

WIPO Extends Mandate for Committee on Genetic Resources, TK

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As expected, the General Assembly of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) - meeting from 24 September to 3 October in Geneva - agreed to extend the mandate of the Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (IGC) for an additional two years.

“Members States have reaffirmed their commitment to forging ahead with efforts to reach international consensus on the protection of traditional knowledge, genetic resources and folklore” said the Director General of WIPO, Kamil Idris. In his view “the challenge now is to capitalise on this work in the form of concrete, tangible outcomes at the international level.” The mandate excludes no outcome of the discussions, including the possible development of an international legally-binding document.

The IGC had failed to reach consensus on how to how to protect traditional knowledge, genetic resources and folklore from misappropriation (see Bridges Weekly, 18 July 2007).

The ICG was established in October 2000 by the WIPO General Assembly in order to develop a shared international understanding of how best to protect traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions against misappropriation and misuse. Two concerns lay at the foundation of the establishment of the committee: first, that the existing intellectual property legislative framework offered inadequate protection for traditional knowledge; and second, that it had contributed to the misappropriation of traditional knowledge. Views on how to facilitate the protection of traditional knowledge differ greatly, with some preferring to incorporate the its protection within the existing framework of intellectual property rights (IPRs), and others supporting the establishment of a new binding legislation to protect against the misappropriation of genetic material, including associated traditional knowledge.

The highlight of this year’s WIPO General Assembly was the adoption of a ‘development agenda,’ which includes reform proposals aimed at placing development concerns at the heart of the institution’s work (see Bridges Weekly, 3 October 2007).

ICTSD reporting; “WIPO Member State Extend International Work on Protection of Traditional Knowledge, Genetic Resources and Folklore,” WIPO RELEASE, 2 October 2007.