nov07c.indd


Andy Bridges W a s h i n g t o n  H o t l i n e  

WIPO and International Copyright 
The World Intellectual Property Organization 
(WIPO) is an agency of the United Nations 
that deals with different aspects of intellec­
tual property protection on behalf of its 179 
member nations. Because each country grants 
different intellectual property rights and en­
forces them in various ways, WIPO works with 
intergovernmental groups, such as the World 
Trade Organization, to create mechanisms for 
intellectual property protection and enforce­
ment that will minimize these problems. 

Due to its jurisdiction over treaties dealing 
with copyright and related rights, WIPO is an 
important venue for libraries. Libraries should 
be a vital part of the strategies of WIPO and its 
member states in promoting intellectual property 
law. The WIPO General Assembly meeting took 
place September 24 to October 3, and two sig­
nificant initiatives were put into action that are 
of direct interest to the library community. 

On September 28, WIPO member states 
adopted a development agenda, which included 
a series of recommendations to enhance the 
development dimension of the organization’s 
activities. 

Member states agreed to establish a Com­
mittee on Development and Intellectual Prop­
erty to examine, evaluate, discuss, and report 
on the implementation of all recommendations 
adopted by member states. These tasks will 
be accomplished by coordinating the relevant 
WIPO bodies to discuss intellectual property 
and development­related issues as agreed 
upon by the committee and decided by the 
General Assembly. 

On October 2, member states agreed to con­
tinue accelerated work on intellectual property 
and traditional knowledge, genetic resources 
and folklore/traditional cultural expressions, 
with a focus on the international dimensions. 

Andy Bridges is communications director at ALA’s 
Washington Offi  ce, e-mail: abridges@alawash.org. This 
month’s column was written by W. Alston Roberts III, 
communications specialist at ALA’s Washington Offi  ce, 
e-mail: wroberts@alawash.org 

The General Assembly extended the mandate to 
the Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual 
Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional 
Knowledge and Folklore (IGC). 

The decision by the member states renews 
the General Assembly’s 2005 directions to IGC 
to accelerate its work and to focus in particular 
on the international dimensions of intellectual 
property and genetic resources, traditional 
knowledge, and folklore or traditional cul­
tural expressions. The mandate excludes no 
outcome, including the possible development 
of an international instrument or instruments 
in the field without prejudice to the work 
pursued in other forums. 

Delegates urged the committee to work 
toward a substantive conclusion in the com­
ing two years. Delegates drew attention to 
the need to build on the existing work of 
IGC, and highlighted the importance of IGC 
coming to grips with the complex and sensi­
tive issues before it. While stressing the need 
not to prejudice other multilateral outcomes, 
many called for a binding international legal 
instrument as the only full effective response to 
the global phenomenon of the misappropria­
tion and misuse of traditional knowledge and 
traditional cultural expressions for industrial 
and commercial use. 

Copyright scholars 
In other copyright news, three International 
Copyright Advocates were selected in a new 
effort initiated by ALA’s Office for Information 
Technology Policy (OITP) and the Library Copy­
right Alliance (LCA): Janice T. Pilch (University of 
Illinois at Urbana­Champaign); Barbara Oakley 
(University of Connecticut); and Jonathan Frank­
lin (University of Washington). 

Though the formation of the advisory 
committee is in its nascent stage, these three 
individuals will be working closely with OITP 
and LCA, traveling internationally to help sup­
port the interests of libraries at multinational 
intellectual property meetings held by WIPO 
and other United Nations affi liates. 

November 2007  651 C&RL News 

mailto:wroberts@alawash.org
mailto:abridges@alawash.org