This Guide intends to provide information for policy-makers, heads of intellectual property (IP) offices, and other decision-makers in countries in transition, on issues they need to consider before putting a legal framework in place. It aims to raise awareness of existing methods for the legal protection of traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions, as well as to improve understanding of the interrelations, at international, regional and national levels, between the IP system, on the one hand, and traditional knowledge/traditional cultural expressions and their implications for economic, social, cultural and technical development, on the other hand.

..This Guide intends to provide information for policy-makers, heads of intellectual property (IP) offices, and other decision-makers in countries in transition, on issues they need to consider before putting a legal framework in place. It aims to raise awareness of existing methods for the legal protection of traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions, as well as to improve understanding of the interrelations, at international, regional and national levels, between the IP system, on the one hand, and traditional knowledge/traditional cultural expressions and their implications for economic, social, cultural and technical development, on the other hand.

The field of intellectual property has broadened and deepened in so many ways, and at such pace, that there is a tendency for academic commentators to focus on the next new thing, or to react immediately to judicial developments, rather than to reflect more deeply on the greater themes of the discipline. The Kritika: Essays on Intellectual Property series is a series of books that are designed to fulfill this role by creating a forum for essays that take a critical, long-term approach to the field of intellectual property. Breaking down the barriers of specialization, and laying the foundation for an emergent critical scholarship, this first book in the series brings together the leading scholars in the field to reflect deeply on the current state and future of their discipline.

This book is a reflection on domestic intellectual property lawmaking from a developing country’s perspective. It focuses on Sri Lanka—a South Asian jurisdiction with a socio-economic, cultural, and political landscape similar to other developing nations in the region, but the intellectual property regime of which has been less explored. The aim of this book is to address the discrepancies, gaps, and flaws in the national intellectual property legal framework of Sri Lanka. In doing so, the book considers Sri Lanka’s obligations under TRIPS and other related intellectual property treaties to which the country is a party. The book also examines approaches adopted by developing countries in the region and beyond, as well as other more developed nations, in calibrating Sri Lanka’s domestic intellectual property regime to better address the country’s domestic needs and national interests. The approach adopted in this book is of relevance, more generally, to policymakers, legislators, legal academics, scholars, jurists, legal practitioners and judges who are keen on exploring the extent to which domestic intellectual property legislation complies with international intellectual property norms and standards and, more importantly, the extent to which domestic law makes use of the flexibilities under international law in addressing domestic needs and national interests.

This Guide intends to provide information for policy-makers, heads of intellectual property (IP) offices, and other decision-makers in countries in transition, on issues they need to consider before putting a legal framework in place. It aims to raise awareness of existing methods for the legal protection of traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions, as well as to improve understanding of the interrelations, at international, regional and national levels, between the IP system, on the one hand, and traditional knowledge/traditional cultural expressions and their implications for economic, social, cultural and technical development, on the other hand.

Traditional knowledge (TK) has contributed immensely to shaping development and human well-being. Its influence spans a variety of sectors, including agriculture, health, education and governance. However, in today's world, TK and its practitioners are increasingly underrpresented or under-utilized. Further, while the applicability of TK to human and environmental welfare is well-recognized, collated information on how TK contributes to different sectors is not easily accessible. --

This book critically analyses the relationships between intangible cultural heritage (ICH), sustainable development and intellectual property rights (IPRs). The author argues that although the use of IPRs to safeguard ICH presents challenges and has impeded sustainable development in some cases, the adoption of these rights on ICH also presents opportunities and, fundamentally, is not contrary to the spirit of the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage (UNESCO 2003 Convention). The adoption of IPRs on ICH can form an important part of the development of sustainable safeguarding plans capable of benefitting the communities, groups and individuals (CGIs) that create, maintain and transmit such heritage. The book provides a nuanced analysis of the relationship between intellectual property (IP) law and ICH as well as examining the role of IPRs in safeguarding ICH through the lens of sustainable development. It analyses the relationship between IP law and ICH from environmental, social and economic perspectives. These perspectives allow a thorough evaluation of both the positive effects and potential pitfalls of adopting IPRs to safeguard ICH. The book addresses deeper structural matters that refer back to the safeguarding of social and environmental processes underlying ICH.