The WIPO Treaty On Genetic Resources And Associated Traditional Knowledge: A Negotiating, Contextual And Conceptual Appraisal

Boston University International Law Journal
(Summer 2025)

Chidi Oguamanam

In this article, I present a major appraisal of the core geopolitical and substantive issues and tensions that resulted in the first major treaty that seeks to interface intellectual property rights with traditional knowledge. It considers the negotiations in historical and conceptual perspectives, and examines why such negotiations took more than two decades. A progressive aspect of the treaty is that it calls for deliberate effort at national and international uptake to involve Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities in the treaty governance and implementation. Yet now that we have the treaty, what comes next? Read the article to find out the key takeaways of the WIPO Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge.

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