[A2k] Comment on the 4 Country Submissions on the WIPO Development Agenda.

[James Love]

On Monday WIPO begins a very important debate about its future, in
response to a 14 country call for a new "Development Agenda" at WIPO.
The block of countries, named the "Friends of Development" (FoD),
currently includes: Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Cuba, the Dominican
Republic, Ecuador, Egypt, Iran, Kenya, Peru, Sierra Leone, South Africa,
Tanzania and Venezuela.

The USA, UK and Mexico have also made submissions on the WIPO
Development Agenda:   Here are some quick comments on the four submissions:

Most lame:  Mexico.   Entire message is that intellectual property
rights in any form are always a good thing, and that WIPO should
"disseminate directly and immediately the intellectual property system
in society in developing countries, highlighting its benefits and the
opportunities arising from it."

Most Wacky:  USA.  Basically, the USA proposes WIPO set up a web page to
help developing countries partner with right-owners to expand and
increase intellectual property protection.

Most European:  UK.   They "understand" there are issues, but won=92t
actually support anything to undermines UK export industries.

Most substantive.   14 member Friends of Development Group;.  More than
12 thousand words, it is a detailed and well-written analysis of WIPO as
an institution and the role of intellectual property rights (and non-IP
mechanisms) in promoting or hindering development.  It discusses
extensively the path to reform WIPO into a body that meets its UN
mission of "promoting creative intellectual activity and [facilitating]
the transfer of technology," and it discusses the need to address abuses.

   Jamie

More on WIPO DA here: http://www.cptech.org/ip/wipo/da.html

WORD COUNTS ON COUNTRY SUBMISSIONS

UK proposal
All words 2569
Abuse 0
Access 0
Access to knowledge: 0
Anticompetitive 0
Consumer 0
Doha Declaration on the TRIPS 0
Education 1
Exceptions 0
Human Rights 0
Limitations 0
Market failure 0
Monopoly 0
Open source: 0
Poverty: 3
Public Health 0

Mexico
All words 1839
Abuse 0
Access 2
Access to knowledge: 0
Anticompetitive 0
Consumer 0
Doha Declaration on the TRIPS 0
Education 1
Exceptions 0
Human Rights 0
Limitations 0
Market failure 0
Monopoly 0
Open source: 0
Poverty: 4
Public Health 0

USA
All words 3059
Abuse 0
Access 3
Access to knowledge: 0
Anticompetitive 0
Consumer 0
Doha Declaration on the TRIPS 0
Education 6
Exceptions 0
Human Rights 0
Limitations 0
Market failure 0
Monopoly 0
Open source: 0
Poverty: 0
Public Health 0

Friends of Development (14 countries)
All words 12,040
Abuse 6
Access 3
Access to knowledge: 7
Anticompetitive 4
Consumer 9
Doha Declaration on the TRIPS 3
Education 3
Exceptions 3
Human Rights 2
Limitations 4
Market failure 0
Monopoly 6
Open source: 1
Poverty: 1
Public Health 5


--
James Love, Director, CPTech, http://www.cptech.org

Consumer Project on Technology in Washington, DC
PO Box 19367, Washington, DC 20036, USA
Tel.:  1.202.387.8030, fax: 1.202.234.5176

Consumer Project on Technology in Geneva
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Tel: +41 22 791 6727

Mobile +1.202.361.3040
james.love@cptech.org