[Ecommerce] AP story on Development Agenda

[Manon Ress]

AP Story in Dar al Hayat re WIPO and Development Agenda
http://english.daralhayat.com/business/09-2004/Article-20040929-4b0e450b-c0a8-01ed-002c-03ff9bccd5b7/story.html

UN to Relax Protection for Intellectual Property to Help Developing
Countries

     AP     2004/09/29
Geneva

The United Nations should relax protection for owners of copyright,
patents and trademarks and pay more attention to the interests and needs
of developing countries, a group of activists said today.
Five hundred scientists, economists, legal experts and consumer
activists have signed a statement lending support to a proposal by a
group of developing countries to the UN body that oversees intellectual
property, the World Intellectual Property Organization.

"This development agenda would involve a moratorium on the negotiation
of new treaties that hike intellectual property protections, and
redirecting the agency to a range of initiatives more responsive to
development and the concerns of WIPO's critics," the signatories said in
a statement.

WIPO's mission statement says it is "dedicated to helping to ensure that
the rights of creators and owners of intellectual property are protected
worldwide ... This international protection acts as a spur to human
creativity."

But campaigners claim WIPO, a specialist agency based in Geneva, is
blinkered and is only directed toward protecting the rich. They say
intellectual property protection should be a means to promote innovation
and creativity rather than an end in itself, and that WIPO must evaluate
the economic and social benefits of protection rather than just
enforcing the law.

For instance, the agency's copyright treaty, which came into force in
2002, includes technological protection measures which preclude "fair
use of educational learning tools," harming the interests of developing
countries, said Thiru Balasubramaniam, Geneva representative of the
Washington-based Consumer Project on Technology.
"In a lot of (WIPO) treaties, the U.S. norm becomes the standard,"
Balasubramaniam said.

Brazil and Argentina tabled the development proposal, which is being
discussed at WIPO's general assembly this week. It calls on the agency
to consider the broad development goals of the United Nations and not to
limit itself to increasing protection for intellectual property.
If accepted by WIPO's 181 member states, the proposal could lead to a
change in the agency's constitution.

"Today many developing countries are concerned that they have to adhere
to patent or copyright levels ... that are excessively high," said
Martin Khor of Third World Network, a nonprofit organization which
promotes the interests of developing countries. "This is the right time
to reconsider the role of WIPO."

Other developing countries such as Iran, Kenya, South Africa and
Venezuela are expected to support the proposal.
"WIPO is working to maintain a balance between the interests of the
holders of intellectual property rights and those of the public at
large," WIPO spokeswoman Samar Shamoon said.
"The WIPO secretariat is entirely neutral on all proposals that are
presented by its member states for discussion," Shamoon told The
Associated Press, adding that "any decision taken by the member states
will be followed-up by the secretariat."

Most rich countries claim there is no need to discuss the development
agenda, said Julia Oliva of the Washington-based Center for
International Environmental Law. There should be greater balance between
the interests of poorer countries and the owners of intellectual
property, Oliva said. "This balance is being skewed."

Since 1997, WIPO has introduced several measures which help to protect
the interests of developing countries. These include creating a
department concerned with rules for small and medium enterprises and new
rules on the protection of traditional knowledge and folklore, issues of
particular importance to the Third World.

--
Manon Anne Ress
Consumer Project on Technology
www.cptech.org
PO Box 19367, Washington, DC 20036
manon.ress@cptech.org, voice: 1.202.387.8030, fax: 1.202.234.5176