Welcome to the United Nations
Addressee: SPFII
Full Text
The Permanent Forum welcomes and endorses the recommendations of the above-mentioned workshop on indigenous traditional knowledge by emphasizing paragraphs 61-74 of the report of the Workshop (see E/C.19/2006/2).
Responses
The Government of Switzerland reports: “The private sector and multinational corporations must be aware of how their practices can have an impact on the lives and livelihoods of indigenous communities. However, with regard to access to genetic resources, related traditional knowledge and the sharing of the commercial and other benefits arising from their use, measures under patent law are being discussed at the international and national levels, including, in particular, requirements for patent applicants to disclose certain information in patent applications. Although Switzerland does not itself require the disclosure of sources in patent applications, it has submitted specific proposals on the disclosure of sources to the World Intellectual Property Organization, in order to support the process and in the interests of balanced patent protection for biotechnological inventions. More information on the proposals submitted by Switzerland are available at www.ige.ch/E/jurinfo/j105.shtm.”
Final Report of UNPFII Session 5 (2006)
Area of Work
