Indigenous and Local Community Entrepreneurship

Entrepreneurship based on traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions celebrates the rich and diverse cultures and traditions of Indigenous peoples and local communities around the world, strengthening their sense of identity and belonging, as well as creating jobs and generating income.

However, Indigenous and local community entrepreneurs often face difficulties in securing and managing their intellectual property (IP) rights as a way of positioning their tradition-based products and services in the marketplace or prevent misappropriation and free-riding on their cultures by third parties.

WIPO provides practical assistance to Indigenous and local communities entrepreneurs to make strategic and effective use of intellectual property tools in support of their businesses.