Traditional Knowledge Laws: Bolivia (Plurinational State of)

Subject Matter of Protection

Article 21

This Law shall be deemed to protect all those works considered as folklore, understood in the strict sense of the term: the body of literary and artistic works created on the national territory by authors who are unknown or who do not identify themselves and who are presumed to be nationals of the country or members of its ethnic communities and which is passed down from generation to generation, representing one of the fundamental elements of the nation's traditional cultural heritage.

Article 22

Works of folklore, as defined by the aforegoing, for the purposes of their utilization as literary
and artistic works, shall be considered as works belonging to the national heritage, in accordance with the norms contained in Title XI of this Law, without prejudice to any norms of protection that may be adopted by other State institutions or through international agreements.

Article 23

Crafts and crafts designs shall be protected by the general norms of this Law, especially with regard to three-dimensional arts and the national heritage.

Beneficiaries or Rightsholders

Article 58

National Heritage shall be the regime into which pass works by Bolivian authors when they leave the protection of private economic rights, for any reason; the following belong to the National Heritage:

(a) Works of folklore and traditional culture by unknown authors.