The Commission on Intellectual Property Rights (CIPR) is an initiative of the UK Government, financed by the Department for International Development (DFID). It is looking at how national and international intellectual property rules and practices might be improved to take greater account of the needs and interests of poor people and developing countries. The idea of creating the CIPR originated in the UK Government’s White Paper on International Development “Eliminating World Poverty: Making Globalisation Work for the Poor” published in December 2000. The aim is for the Commission to report by March 2002.
The website is designed to be a means of communication with the diverse constituency interested in this subject, and a way for the Commission and this community to exchange views. Amongst other things, on the site you will find details of past and forthcoming commission events and summaries of studies being undertaken. CIPR hope to run a series of moderated on-line debates in a couple of months’ time, and welcome comments.
The terms of reference of the Commission are to consider:
- how national IPR regimes could best be designed to benefit developing countries within the context of international agreements, including TRIPS
- how the international framework of rules and agreements might be improved and developed, for instance in the area of traditional knowledge – and the relationship between IPR rules and regimes covering access to genetic resources
- the broader policy framework needed to complement intellectual property regimes, including for instance controlling anti-competitive practices through competition policy and law
The Commission will focus its enquiries into nine main study areas, which cover the most important issues surrounding IPRs and their impact on poor countries and poor people. Research will be commissioned in each of these areas from internationally respected authors, and the study reports will include a set of clearly argued recommendations related to addressing key issues in the areas of: (i) national IP regimes and legislation in developing countries; (ii) the international framework of IP rules and agreements; (iii) the broader policy framework (including competition policy and law) in developing countries relevant to the regulation of IPRs. The summary headings for the research studies are as follows:
- IPRs, Technology and Development
- Pharmaceuticals and Vaccines
- Genetic Resources, Gene-based Inventions and Agriculture
- Traditional Knowledge and Folklore
- IPRs, the Internet and Copyright
- National IPR legislation in Developing Countries
- TRIPS and the International Framework
- Process and Constitutional Issues in international IP rule making
- Institutional Issues for IPRs regimes in Developing Countries