The World Intellectual Property Organization’s Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (IGC), has continued to advance its current mandate to negotiate the text(s) of an international legal instrument(s) relating to intellectual property which will ensure the balanced and effective protection of genetic resources, traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions. A key area of opportunity for the IGC is contained within the growing number of countries that are developing and implementing national frameworks for the protection of traditional knowledge.
Against this backdrop, this expert panel will examine lessons, opportunities and challenges for the IGC arising from the trends of national experiences with the protection of traditional knowledge. The panel will feature academics, industry experts, Indigenous peoples and policy makers sharing their experiences and research with a specific focus on what opportunities and lessons it provides for the IGC across a varied range of issues being considered, such as patent revocation, benefit sharing, definitions and scope.
