[WSIS CS-Plenary] [governance] Thinking about

Milton Mueller mueller at syr.edu
Sat Sep 18 17:13:51 BST 2004


It should be clear that the wisest strategy is to work in BOTH
arenas (WGIG and WIPO). Keeping silent on IPR within the 
WGIG, or trying to 'play defense' by keeping it off the agenda, 
automatically gives an advantage to those who would keep the 
status quo or push for greater, stronger copyright, patent, 
trademark protections. If we do not actively 'problematize'
IPR within the framework of the WGIG, we have lost an
irreplaceable opportunity. If some governments and the civ 
soc advocates have already succeeded in injecting a more
critical approach into the WIPO forums, there is reason
to believe we could succeed in doing the same thing in WGIG.

 --MM

>>> robin at ipjustice.org 09/17/04 4:58 PM >>>
>Vittorio:
>> so I am ready to
>> trust whoever has experience of working there, to understand whether
it
>> would be easier to change the way WIPO works and win the fight there,
or try
>> to move the fight and win it elsewhere. In fact, among us we have a
huge
>> capital in terms of the experience necessary to work out good
strategies -
>> we only have to cooperate to exploit it well.
>
> Robin:
>I am hopeful that we can begin to see some slow reform at WIPO.  I was
a 
>participant at the meetings in Geneva last week working exactly on this

>goal.  There is no doubt that WIPO will have to become more balanced 
>after the hard pounding it took from the top academics and policy 
>makers.  There will be a Declaration that many of us have been working 
>on led by Jamie Love that will be released in the coming weeks that
puts 
>strong international pressure on WIPO to reform.  Brazil and Argentina 
>have issued a very powerful to challenge on these issues also in the 
>last week weeks.  But WIPO is more than a 1000 person organization and 
>will not move quickly and without constant prodding from us.







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