Copyrighting Traditional Culture

The eight session of WIPO's Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (the IGC) opens today at Geneva. High on the agenda is a possible extension of copyright protections on traditional culture, mostly pushed by developing countries. This short article takes a look at the issues and notes that

One solution proposed by industrialized nations is to divide rights into two types: "personal rights," which preserve respect for traditional culture, and "asset rights," which prevent valued cultural icons from commercial misuse.