1st Edition
Intellectual Property and Traditional Knowledge in the Global Economy Translating Geographical Indications for Development
Arising from recent developments at the international level, many developing countries, indigenous peoples and local communities are considering using geographical indications (GIs) to protect traditional knowledge, and to promote trade and overall economic development. Despite the considerable enthusiasm over GIs in diverse quarters, there is an appreciable lack of research on how far and in what context GIs can be used as a protection model for traditional knowledge-based resources.
This book critically examines the potential uses of geographical indications as models for protecting traditional knowledge-based products and resources in national and international intellectual property legal frameworks. By analysing the reception towards GIs from developing countries and advocates of development in the various legal and non-legal regimes (including the World Trade Organization, World Intellectual Property Organization, and the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Food and Agricultural Organization), the book evaluates the development potential of GIs in relation to ensuing changes in international intellectual property law in accommodating traditional knowledge. Teshager W. Dagne argues for a degree of balance in the approach to the implementation of global intellectual property rights in a manner that gives developing countries an opportunity to protect traditional knowledge-based products.
The book will be of great interest and use to scholars and students of intellectual property law, public international law, traditional knowledge, and global governance.
1. General Introduction 2. Traditional Knowledge-Based Agricultural Products and Geographical Indications Law 3. Protecting Traditional Knowledge-Based Agricultural Products: Imperatives and Challenges 4. Implementing Geographical Indications in Developing Countries 5. Conclusion: Mapping Future Directions in the Use of Geographical Indications in Developing Countries
Biography
Teshager W. Dagne is Assistant Professor at Thompson Rivers University, Canada.
"This carefully researched book is a rare attempt to examine the role geographical indications can play in protecting traditional knowledge. The analysis is timely, balanced and insightful, and it captures well the ongoing international debate. The book should be of interest to anybody who cares about intellectual property, international trade, agricultural production, food security or cultural preservation."
Peter K. Yu, Kern Family Chair in Intellectual Property Law, Drake University Law School, USA
