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May 24, 2024
Following the Diplomatic Conference that took place in WIPO Headquarters in Geneva, between May 13 - 24, 2024, WIPO member states approved a groundbreaking new Treaty related to intellectual property (IP), genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge on May 24, marking a historic breakthrough that capped decades of negotiations.
The much-awaited new Treaty, named the WIPO Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge, addresses the interface between intellectual property, genetic resources and traditional knowledge and is the first WIPO Treaty to include provisions specifically for Indigenous Peoples as well as local communities.
Once the Treaty enters into force with 15 contracting parties, it will establish in international law a new disclosure requirement for patent applicants whose inventions are based on genetic resources and/or associated traditional knowledge.
The WIPO Director General, Mr. Daren Tang, stated, “Today we made history in many ways. This is not just the first new WIPO Treaty in over a decade but also the first one that deals with genetic resources and traditional knowledge held by Indigenous Peoples as well as local communities. Through this, we are showing that the IP system can continue to incentivize innovation while evolving in a more inclusive way, responding to the needs of all countries and their communities. This agreement by consensus is not just the culmination of a 25 year negotiating journey, but also a strong signal that multilateralism is alive and well at WIPO. I thank all of the negotiators, past and present, who worked tirelessly these last two weeks as well as in the past few decades to make history today."
The President of the Diplomatic Conference, Ambassador Guilherme de Aguiar Patriota, who is also Brazil’s Permanent Representative to the World Trade Organization, described the new Treaty as "a very carefully balanced outcome of this Diplomatic Conference. It constitutes the best possible compromise and a carefully calibrated solution, which seeks to bridge and to balance a variety of interests, some very passionately held and assiduously expressed and defended over the course of decades.”
The Ambassador concluded by stating, “We’ve been waiting for this moment for 25 years.”
Read the Press Release here: https://www.wipo.int/pressroom/en/articles/2024/article_0007.html
Access the new Treaty here: https://www.wipo.int/edocs/mdocs/tk/en/gratk_dc/gratk_dc_7.pdf