(SIPO Website) On May 22, the World Biodiversity Day, the Symposium and Training Class of IPR Protection Work for Genetic Resources and Traditional Knowledge is held by SIPO in Beijing. Xing Shengcai, Head of the Discipline Inspection Group stationed in SIPO attends the opening ceremony and delivers a speech.

Mr. Xing points out that China is one of the world countries with the most abundant resources in term of genetic resources, traditional knowledge and folk literatures. These are the strategic resources for the national economic development of the current and the next stages. It is a new topic facing China’s current IP work, an important content of implementing the National IP Strategy and the new duty of the IPR administration work to pragmatically protect the national, collective and individual rights and interests during the process of developing and utilizing genetic resources and traditional knowledge.

Mr. Xing says that Chinese related laws, regulations, policies and measures fail to ascertain the three principles of the national sovereignty, prior informed consent and benefit share system put forward by the Convention on Biological Diversity, especially the disposal of related IPRs, leading to the result that these laws, regulations, policies and measures cannot strengthen their management and cannot effective protect the legal interests of the nation, collectives and individuals in related development and utilization. Meanwhile, China does not have corresponding systematic guarantee for the development and utilization of traditional knowledge and folk literature. He notes that the symposium’s discussion on these topics will surely help the IPR protection work of China’s genetic resources and traditional knowledge.

The symposium is the first training class for various regional IP administrations held by SIPO centered with IPR protection work for biological genetic resources and traditional knowledge. The two-day symposium discusses “legal protection of genetic resources and related traditional knowledge,” “protection of folk literatures,” “intangible cultural heritage protection” and other topics. Nearly 50 representatives from various regional IP administrations, colleges and universities, and research institutes attend the symposium.

Currently, the acquirement of genetic resources, IPR protection of traditional knowledge, just benefit share of related development and utilization have become the discussion focuses between developing and developed countries in the international forums such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, the World Intellectual Property Organization and the World Trade Organization, as well as the hot spots in improving related international systems, including the improvement of IP system.

Biological diversity is the result of life evolution during the several billion of years on the earth, which is the material basis for existence of human beings. In order to protect the global biological diversity, a total of 153 countries sign the Convention on Biological Diversity at the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil in 1992. In December 1994, the UN Assembly decides to set December 29 as the annual International Biodiversity Day. According to Resolution 201 of the 55th UN Assembly, starting 2001, the International Biodiversity Day changes from December 29 to May 22 to facilitate various countries to hold activities. Biological diversity has close connection to people’s life and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity may put forward a theme every year illustrate the relations between biological diversity and the global hot spots. The theme for this year’s International Biodiversity Day is: “Biodiversity and Agriculture: Safeguarding Biodiversity and Securing Food for the World”.

2008-06-04

2008-06-04