About Intellectual Property IP Training IP Outreach IP for… IP and... IP in... Patent & Technology Information Trademark Information Industrial Design Information Geographical Indication Information Plant Variety Information (UPOV) IP Laws, Treaties & Judgements IP Resources IP Reports Patent Protection Trademark Protection Industrial Design Protection Geographical Indication Protection Plant Variety Protection (UPOV) IP Dispute Resolution IP Office Business Solutions Paying for IP Services Negotiation & Decision-Making Development Cooperation Innovation Support Public-Private Partnerships The Organization Working with WIPO Accountability Patents Trademarks Industrial Designs Geographical Indications Copyright Trade Secrets WIPO Academy Workshops & Seminars World IP Day WIPO Magazine Raising Awareness Case Studies & Success Stories IP News WIPO Awards Business Universities Indigenous Peoples Judiciaries Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Traditional Cultural Expressions Economics Gender Equality Global Health Climate Change Competition Policy Sustainable Development Goals Enforcement Frontier Technologies Mobile Applications Sports Tourism PATENTSCOPE Patent Analytics International Patent Classification ARDI – Research for Innovation ASPI – Specialized Patent Information Global Brand Database Madrid Monitor Article 6ter Express Database Nice Classification Vienna Classification Global Design Database International Designs Bulletin Hague Express Database Locarno Classification Lisbon Express Database Global Brand Database for GIs PLUTO Plant Variety Database GENIE Database WIPO-Administered Treaties WIPO Lex - IP Laws, Treaties & Judgments WIPO Standards IP Statistics WIPO Pearl (Terminology) WIPO Publications Country IP Profiles WIPO Knowledge Center WIPO Technology Trends Global Innovation Index World Intellectual Property Report PCT – The International Patent System ePCT Budapest – The International Microorganism Deposit System Madrid – The International Trademark System eMadrid Article 6ter (armorial bearings, flags, state emblems) Hague – The International Design System eHague Lisbon – The International System of Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications eLisbon UPOV PRISMA Mediation Arbitration Expert Determination Domain Name Disputes Centralized Access to Search and Examination (CASE) Digital Access Service (DAS) WIPO Pay Current Account at WIPO WIPO Assemblies Standing Committees Calendar of Meetings WIPO Official Documents Development Agenda Technical Assistance IP Training Institutions COVID-19 Support National IP Strategies Policy & Legislative Advice Cooperation Hub Technology and Innovation Support Centers (TISC) Technology Transfer Inventor Assistance Program WIPO GREEN WIPO's Pat-INFORMED Accessible Books Consortium WIPO for Creators WIPO ALERT Member States Observers Director General Activities by Unit External Offices Job Vacancies Procurement Results & Budget Financial Reporting Oversight

WIPO Member States Extend International Work on Protection of Traditional Knowledge, Genetic Resources and Folklore

Geneva, September 29, 2005
Press Releases PR/2005/421

Member states of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) have agreed to continue accelerated work on intellectual property (IP) and traditional knowledge, genetic resources and folklore, with a focus on the international dimension. The General Assembly extended the mandate of the Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (IGC) for two years.

This decision renews the General Assembly's 2003 directions to the IGC to accelerate its work, and to focus in particular on the international dimension of IP and genetic resources, traditional knowledge (TK), and folklore or traditional cultural expressions (TCEs). The mandate excludes no outcome, including the possible development of an international instrument or instruments in this field. This latest decision gives effect to the IGC's own recent conclusion that its work on TCEs and TK had ‘broad support' and its recommendation that its mandate should be extended for that work to continue.

Delegates welcomed progress in the work of the IGC and called for further progress in developing international solutions in this area. A number of countries highlighted that the working documents of the IGC had already provided useful guidance for community, national and regional consultations, and had directly helped policymakers in working towards stronger legal recognition and protection of TK and TCEs.

Separately, member states also agreed to transmit to the Conference of the Parties (COP) of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) a WIPO study on the relationship between disclosure requirements within the IP system and genetic resources and associated TK. Disclosure of the origin, source and/or legal provenance of the genetic resources and TK that are used in claimed inventions is a cross-cutting issue under consideration in several international forums within and beyond WIPO. The study was prepared in response to an invitation by the CBD COP as a follow-up to a previous WIPO technical study also commissioned by the CBD. Based on inputs from a diverse array of member states, civil society and industry NGOs, the study reviews operational and policy issues relating to disclosure mechanisms and equitable sharing of benefits from the use of genetic resources. This is a further step in a growing program of cooperation between the CBD and WIPO, aimed at considering how to harness the IP system to promote CBD goals such as equitable sharing of benefits. The study will be transmitted to the CBD for consideration at the next COP, to be held in Curitiba, Brazil in March 2006.

Background

The IGC is expected to progress towards a shared international understanding of how best to protect TK and TCEs against misappropriation and misuse. A key aim is to support the holders and custodians of TK and TCEs in exercising greater authority over how these vital elements of their cultural identity are used and disseminated, and to reinforce the legal aspects of respect and recognition. Many participants in the debate have called for specific international legal instruments to achieve this. WIPO Member states are yet to reach consensus on the exact format and status of the outcome of this work. But the IGC process developed draft objectives and principles for the legal protection of TK and TCEs against misappropriation and misuse. These draft provisions are currently the subject of active, focused consultations in many countries, and as reported to the Assembly, are already helping to catalyze dialogue and development of practical and legal measures at the community, national and regional levels. Further background on the recent work of the IGC is provided in press update WIPO/UPD/2005/251.

For further information please contact the Media Relations and Public Affairs Section at (+ 41 22) 338 81 61, 338 95 47 Fax: (+41 22) 338 82 80, E-mail: publicinf@wipo.int.

https://www3.wipo.int/contact/en/area.jsp?area=publicinfo https://www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/ https://www.wipo.int/tools/en/disclaim.html https://www.wipo.int/en/web/privacy-policy/ https://www.wipo.int/en/web/accessibility/ https://www.wipo.int/tools/en/sitemap.html https://www3.wipo.int/newsletters/en/ https://www.wipo.int/en/web/podcasts/ https://www.wipo.int/news/en/