Sisule F. Musungu – On 1 October 2009, the last day of the 47th Series of Meetings of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) General Assemblies, a new mandate for its Intergovernmental Committee on Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (commonly known as ‘the IGC’) was agreed by the Member States. The last minute agreement, following a year of wrangling, was hailed by many as a major breakthrough (see IP-Watch story), particularly for the African Group. WIPO’s Director General called it “a real step forward”. The African Group, with the support of many developing countries, had insisted on a mandate that would deliver a ‘binding’ treaty on these issues in two years time.
Archive for October, 2009
Genetic Resources and Traditional Knowledge: Can the New WIPO Mandate Deliver on Biopiracy?
Thursday, October 15th, 2009Global Financial Crisis, FDI and the Effectiveness of Protectionist Measures in Preserving National Interests
Friday, October 2nd, 2009Lekshmi Nair – The global financial crisis is now hitting countries all over the world. Because of the crisis, there has been significant decline in the prospects for conducting international business and foreign direct investment (FDI) in many countries. Many industries that were very good performers historically have got affected by the decline in FDI flows. The most affected industries to date are the financial services and manufacturing industries including automotive industries, building materials, intermediate goods and some consumption goods.
