“Intellectual Property and Development” Training Held for the Diplomatic Community in Bangkok

 

Diplomats from various Asian and European countries in Bangkok participated in a collabotative training program on "Intellectual Property and Development" for the Diplomatic Community in Bangkok.

    The workshop was organized by United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) - with the collaboration of AIT and the United Nations Economic and Social Development in Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) from  21 to 22  June 2007 at UNESCAP Training center in Bangkok.

    Sponsored by the European Commission (ECAP II), the training program was offered for the first time in Asia by a United Nations agency, which  AIT was also involved in relating to a technology and law area such as IP.

Dr. Roland  Amoussou-Guenou, Project Manager, AIT’s Asia/Africa Initiative, Visiting Lecturer and WIPO Intellectual Property University Coordinator in Asia, was invited to serve as a  guest lecturer to give a presentation on "Legal aspects of intellectual property" for this program.

    The course identified ten reasons why diplomats shall be concerned by Intellectual
property.  For example, diplomats are at the front line of the negotiation of  international commercial treaties such as World Trade Organization (WTO),  TRIPS agreements (Agreements on Trade Related Aspects of Intectual Property Rights)  and Free Trade Agreements  (FTAS). They have the duty to defend the position and interests of their Nations in the international arena. As policy experts they also have to advise their governments in international issues.

    The training also considered with diplomats what IP issues they have to focus on and how they have to address these IP issues effectively.

    The current compulsory license argument between the U.S. and Thailand has been a critical topic of discussion. A mock case was organized for participants, based of official Thai and U.S. Government documents relating to compulsory licensing. After a serious round of negotiation participants have come out with very innovative ideas and solutions that the parties involved in the real compulsory license argument may consider very inspiring and useful in conciliating their conflicting interests and saving face.

    Intellectual property has emerged as a very important topic in the knowledge-based economy. As science, technology and innovation have become the main drivers of economic development, Intellectual property ascertains the rights to build intellectual capital and wealth especially for research institutes, universities, companies and nations.

    In Asia, countries like Japan, Korea, China and India have officially acknowledged the importance of intellectual property and are undergoing the necessary legal and institutional reforms to boost their research, development and innovation capabilities in order to transform their knowledge into intangible, yet valuable assets.