Chidi Oguamanam: Untangling Traditional Knowledge at the United Nations.

Le Centre de recherche en droit, technologie et société a le plaisir de présenter la conférence annuelle OpenAir 2017.

À propos du conférencier de marque

Chidi Oguamanam  est professeur titulaire à la Section de common law de l'Université d'Ottawa, un co-Leader du réseau OpenAir et un chercheur du CDTS.

Résumé

In 2000, the General Assembly of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), a specialized agency of the United Nations, established the Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (IGC). The IGC's mandate was to undertake text-based negotiations for the effective protection of these subject matters. It was a response to the outrage by developing countries and Indigenous peoples over the failure of the global intellectual property system symbolized by the WTO-TRIPS Agreement to recognize the fused relationship of traditional knowledge (TK), genetic resources (GRs) and folklore (also known as traditional cultural expressions (TCEs)) as sites of innovation and creativity. That omission was an affront on the ability of people on the margins to participate and benefit equitably in the new global knowledge economy. Despite progress regarding TK in kindred regimes, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, why has the IGC yet to deliver on its mandate for nearly two decades? What are the underlying dynamics, sticking points and the tensions that continue to stall and shape deliberations at the expert body? Were expectations from the IGC realistic or misplaced? Were all parties committed to the same outcome from the outset? What are the possible ways forward for the IGC and its mandate? This talk provides personal insights based on the speaker's experience as a participant in the IGC negotiations.