Report of the Workshop on Indigenous Traditional Knowledge, Traditional Cultural Expressions, and Intellectual Property

On January 30, 2020, Innovation Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED) and the CIPP welcomed more than 60 participants to the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts for a multidisciplinary working session on traditional knowledge (TK), traditional cultural expressions (TCE) and intellectual property (IP). This workshop fits more broadly into the federal government’s IP strategy and had as its main objective to better understand the needs and issues of indigenous communities regarding the protection of TK and TCE. It was also intended to share information both on the current IP legislative framework in Canada and on the research and enforcement experiences of indigenous communities. The two reports below, one in French another in English, recount the content of the debates that took place on that day. We have tried to reproduce the comments exchanged without distortion, so that the ideas and opinions expressed can not only be preserved but also, and most importantly, in hope that they can constitute avenues of reflection for future collaborations between the participants, while respecting the reality and interests of the indigenous communities.” 

Below are some presentations made by the panelists:

1. Martin Simard: Toward a More Inclusive IP Regime in Canada

2. Prof. Richard Gold: Open Science and Traditional Knowledge

3. Me Julie Gauvreau (Lavery) – Protecting Plant Varieties

4.Xavier Genest, Intellectual Property Tools: A Canadian Overview, OPIC

5. Prof. Thomas Burelli: Les pouvoirs (souvent) insoupçonnés des peuples autochtones pour la protection de leurs savoirs traditionnels

This content has been updated on June 4, 2020 at 15:49.