Intellectual property protection of indigenous knowledge : implementing initiatives at national and regional levels

This article highlights the fundamental importance of implementing both national and regional measures to protect indigenous intellectual property rights. The development of such measures provides countries with an opportunity to protect their traditional knowledge. The measures will be implemented according to each country’s unique level of economic development. In particular, laws can be developed that are sensitive to, and take specific account of, the cultural, social, political and economic diversity of the enacting countries. In light of these issues, this article concludes that national and regional integration provides an excellent opportunity for furthering national and regional collaboration, harmonising policies, and synchronising interventions across borders. It finally argues that effective and instrumentally beneficial national and regional mechanisms are more likely to succeed in states with similar cultures, economies, and ecology.