Key Resources

 Press Releases

• WIPO and ICOM to Collaborate in Cultural Heritage and Museum Areas
• International Conference Concludes TKDL Can Prevent Misappropriation and Fuel Innovation
• WIPO and India Partner to Protect Traditional Knowledge from Misappropriation
• IWG 3 - Update
• IWG 2 - Update
• IGC Makes Significant Progress, Sets the Stage for Working Groups on GRs and TK
• ARIPO Adopts Traditional Knowledge and Folklore Legal Instrument
• Experts Break New Ground in Traditional Cultural Expression Talks
• IP Can Support Bio Diversity
• WIPO Member States Advance Work On Traditional Knowledge, Folklore And Genetic Resource
• Indigenous Community goes Digital with High-Tech Support from WIPO
• WIPO to Launch Pilot Training Program for Indigenous Communities
• Indonesian Cultural Heritage Takes Center Stage at WIPO Supported Event

General Information

• Guía de Buenas Prácticas para Administración de la Propiedad Intelectual en Museos y Archivos de Argentina, prepared by Maria Clara Lima [PDF] (in Spanish)
• "IP and the Safeguarding of Traditional Cultures" [PDF], French [PDF], Spanish [PDF], Chinese [PDF], Arabic [PDF] 
• Intellectual Property Issues and Arts Festivals: Preparing for the 11th Festival of Pacific Arts Solomon Islands 2012, by Terri Janke [PDF]
• WIPO Report on Fact-finding Missions on Intellectual Property and Traditional Knowledge (1998-1999)
• Booklet on Intellectual Property and Traditional Knowledge (WIPO Publication No. 920) [PDF]
• Booklet on Intellectual Property and Traditional Cultural Expressions/Folklore (WIPO Publication No. 913) English [PDF]: French [PDF], Spanish [PDF], Arabic [PDF], Chinese [PDF], Russian [PDF], Mongolian [PDF], Thai [PDF].
• A Stronger Voice for Indigenous and Local Communities in WIPO's work on Traditional Knowledge, Traditional Cultural Expressions and Genetic Resources: The WIPO Voluntary Fund (WIPO Publication No. 936) [PDF]
• Brochure on the Creative Heritage Project: English [PDF], French [PDF], Spanish [PDF], Arabic [PDF], Chinese [PDF], Russian [PDF]
• Information brochure on the Establishment of a Caribbean Regional Framework on IP and GRTKF [PDF]
  
• LIENIP-WIPO joint bilingual publication on Traditional Knowledge and Indigenous Peoples – Russian Publication [PDF], Bilingual Publication [PDF]

  Case studies and National Experiences

  • WIPO-UNEP Study on the Role of Intellectual Property Rights in the Sharing of Benefits Arising from the Use of Biological Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge [PDF]
  • Technical Study on Disclosure Requirements in Patent Systems Related to Genetic Resources and Traditional Knowledge [PDF]
  • Minding Culture: Case Studies on Intellectual Property and Traditional Cultural Expressions [PDF] - Biosketch of Author
  • National Experiences with the Protection of Traditional Cultural Expressions/Expressions of Folklore - India, Indonesia, the Philippines, by Mrs. P. V. Valsala G. Kutty [PDF]
  • Surveys of existing practices, protocols and policies regarding the digitization of cultural heritage

  Short case-studies regarding the digitization of cultural heritage:

  • Continuous Cultures, Ongoing Responsibilities (CCOR policy document), Australia [PDF]
  • Fiji's Training Manual and Guidelines for Cultural Research [PDF]
  • Hopi Tribe's Protocol for Research, Publications and Recordings [PDF]
  • ATSILIRN Protocols [PDF]
  • PIMA Code of Ethics for Pacific Museums and Cultural Centers [PDF]
  • Omaha Digitization Project [PDF]
  • Smithsonian's Global Sound Project [PDF]
  • Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa [PDF]
  • The Vanuatu Cultural Centre [PDF]
  • Brazil's Registry of Intangible Cultural Assets [PDF]
  • Sudanese Traditional Music Archive (TRAMA) [PDF]

  Policy and Legislative Guidance

  • Archive of IGC Consultation Processes
  • Consolidated Analysis of the Legal Protection of Traditional Cultural Expressions/Expressions of Folklore [PDF] 
  • Customary Law and Intellectual Property

  Conferences and Workshops

  • Intellectual Property Law and Development – the Road Ahead: Traditional Knowledge and Access to Knowledge (Tel Aviv, Israel - October 24 and 25, 2011)
  • International Conference on the Utilization of the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library as a Model for Protection of Traditional Knowledge
  • Inter-regional Seminar on Guidance for TK in Countries in Transition, Warsaw (July 8 and 9, 2010)
  • International Symposium on IP, TK, TCEs and GR: Towards Sustainable Development for Indigenous Peoples (October 31 to November 3, 2010)
  • WIPO Sub-Regional Conference on IP and Digitization of Intangible Cultural Heritage, Sofia, Bulgaria (June 3 to 4, 2010)
  • WIPO Regional Seminar on IP and TK, Genetic Resources and Traditional Cultural Expressions, Bangkok, Thailand (December 16 to 17, 2009)
  • International Conference on Traditional Knowledge, New Delhi, India (November 13, 2009)
  • International Conference on Intellectual Property and Cultural Heritage in the Digital World, Madrid, Spain (October 29 to 30, 2009)
  • American Library Association (ALA) Conference on "Cultural Heritage and Living Culture: Defining the US Library Position on Access to and Protection of Traditional Cultural Expression", Washington D.C. (November 12 to 14, 2008)
  • WIPO International Workshop on Digital Preservation and Copyright, Geneva (July 15, 2008)
  • IP and Arts Festivals: 21st Meeting of Council for the Festival of Pacific Arts, Presentation by Terri Janke, Pago Pago (April 2008) [PDF] - Synopsis [PDF]
  • WIPO Regional Expert Meeting on the Establishment of a Caribbean Framework for the Protection of Traditional Knowledge, Folklore and Genetic Resources, Kingston, Jamaica (March 18 to 19, 2008)
  • WIPO Roundtable on Community Capacity Building Presentation by Vladia Borissova, Geneva (December 2007) [PDF]
  • Santa Clara Symposium Presentation by Molly Ann Torsen, Santa Clara (November 2007) [PDF] - Synopsis [PDF]
  • Panama Intellectual Property Congress Presentation by Aristides Burgos Villarreal, Panama (October 2007) (in Spanish) [PDF]
  • ICOM General Conference Presentation by Martin Skrydstrup, Vienna (August 2007) [PDF] 
  • ICTM Conference Presentation by Shubha Chaudhuri, Vienna (July 2007) [PDF] 
  • Tonga Research Association Conference Presentation by Malia Talakai, Tonga (July 2007) [PDF]
  • World Archaeological Congress Symposium Presentation by Malia Talakai, Burra (December 2006) [PDF]

  Articles

  • "What Place for Customary Law in Protecting Traditional Knowledge?" by Ms. Patricia Adjei, WIPO Indigenous Fellow (August 2010) [PDF]
  • Archives and Museums:  Balancing Protection and Preservation of Cultural Heritage
  • Panama:  Empowering Indigenous Women Through a Better Protection and Marketing of Handicrafts [PDF]
  • Digitizing Traditional Culture:  WIPO Training Program for Indigenous Communities [PDF]
  • Capacity-Building:  Intellectual Property and Traditional Knowledge [PDF]
  • Traditional Cultures, Indigenous Peoples and Cultural Institutions [PDF]
  • "WIPO's capacity building tools for indigenous cultural heritage" (Arts Law Centre of Australia) (ART+law, March 2008)
  • "The Nexus of Cultural Heritage and Intellectual Property", IP Watch, September 21, 2006
  • "Protecting Intangible Cultural Heritage: From Ethical Dilemmas to Best Practice", International Council of Museums (ICOM) (News No. 2, 2006) [PDF]

  Multimedia Resources

  • Intellectual Property Law and Development – the Road Ahead: Traditional Knowledge and Access to Knowledge (Tel Aviv, Israel - October 24 and 25, 2011)
  • WIPO Conference on Innovation and Climate Change (July 2011)
  • Prior Informed Consent, Experiences with Ethnomusicological Recordings in Indonesia
    (presentation by Dr. Wim van Zanten)
  • Short film on the Pilot Training Program on Cultural Documentation, Archiving and Intellectual Property Management for Indigenous and Local Communities and Cultural Institutions (September 2008)