Workshop on the Interface between International Access and Benefit Sharing Rules under the Nagoya Protocol, and Intellectual Property Rights

​UNCTAD in cooperation with INDECOPI is organizing a workshop in Cusco, Peru on 11 February 2015 entitled "The Interface between International Access and Benefit Sharing Rules under the Nagoya Protocol and Intellectual Property Rights".

The purpose of the event is to raise awareness of the linkage between intellectual property (IP), genetic resources, and biodiversity. The workshop will present the IP implications of the Nagoya Protocol, and recent challenges and developments of relevant IP institutional mechanisms.

The Nagoya Protocol aims to ensure fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources. Effective implementation of the Nagoya Protocol requires many countries to consider IP in the context of revising Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) regulations. IP is closely linked to ABS frameworks, as commercialized innovations and products derived from the utilization of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge are often subject to IP rights in the form of patents, geographical indications or plant varieties. If properly designed, IP protection can not only play a crucial role in preventing the misappropriation of genetic resources, but it also has the capacity to contribute to the economic development of indigenous and local communities in biodiversity rich countries.