When cosmology meets property: indigenous people’s innovation and intellectual property

Abstract

The protection of traditional knowledge by means of intellectual property rights is one of the major concerns of international organizations. Less attention has been paid to the relationship between systems of indigenous innovation and intellectual property. Using Australia as a case study, the paper argues that indigenous innovation systems are located within a connectionist cosmological framework. The distinctive institutional features of this innovation system are identified. Key is that innovation in systems maintains the health of other systems. The commodity-based nature of intellectual property systems does not suit this kind of innovation. Property rights in land matter to this innovation system far more than intellectual property. Forms of intellectual property based on the right to distinguish one’s product in the market will generally be more useful to indigenous innovation than commodity regimes such as the patent system. Voluntary certification systems can probably be harnessed to much greater effect by indigenous business enterprises.

The potential of current legal structures to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander interests in the Australian bush food industry

“…For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, conservation embodies their role as first stewards of Australian lands and resources and their belief that all species, lands and peoples are interconnected (Rose 1996;Merne 2011;Drahos 2011). However, biodiversity conservation is not the only interest Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have expressed in relation to the transformation of their traditional plant foods ('bush foods') into gourmet food products or new plant varieties.…”

“…The interests of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in these contexts are highly varied, reflecting distinct customary legal systems, roles in society, relationships with resources, political aspirations, economic motivations, personalities and capacities (see e.g. Cleary et al 2009;Evans et al 2009;Morse 2010;Merne 2011;Drahos 2011;Holcombe et al 2011).…”

“…They are the basis of ancient stories, songs, artworks, ceremonies and practices through which people strengthen their relationships with lands and resources (Morse 2005;Cunningham et al 2009;Merne 2011;Holcombe et al 2011). Bush foods may also be family totems that direct social structures and relationships within and between different peoples (Dodson 2009;Merne 2011;Drahos 2011).…”

La construcción jurídica de la propiedad intelectual: del privilegio a la propiedad

“…Porque todas las comunidades de seres humanos, de una forma u otra, han encarado -de formas similares o de formas muy diferentes-cómo reconocer a quienes manifestaban su pulsión creativa mediante expresiones artísticas, ya sea admirándolos, censurándolos, ignorándolos, etc. Cada sociedad ha desarrollado por tanto modos distintos de relacionarse con inventores, artistas o intelectuales, así como con las obras que éstos creaban (Ficsor, 1983;Mitsui, 1993;Drahos, 2011). Y estas formas no han sido siempre, ni mucho menos, las de propiedad intelectual y copyright (Smiers, 2006).…”

Māori Traditional Knowledge and New Zealand Patent Law: The 2013 Act and the Dawn of a New Era?

“…Peter Drahos has noted that “the payoffs of this strategy [of obtaining patents] are very uncertain, while the costs are not” (Drahos, , p. 245). There are success stories, but the chances of success are low (Drahos, , p. 245; Dutfield, , pp. 504–5; Forsyth, , p. 279).…”