Haggling afternoon at WIPO
And I thought that after one and a half days of procedural discussions, the delegates would finally get on with discussing about the Development Agenda. They made an attempt at it, but delays continue.
After having discussed one point – that charming proposal by the USA to throw a website at the Knowledge Gap -, the discussion turned to technical assistance. I understand that this has been a sort of sore spot of WIPO’s work in the past, as WIPO was happy to assist developing countries in setting up bodies to monitor copyright, patent and trademark activities, in accordance with the TRIPS agreement; but reportedly WIPO frequently forgot to tell developing countries about the flexibilities of that agreement.
Other people’s writing about this meeting is now available online. The EFF is at it again, producing pretty exact transcripts of the meeting; I hope these will be online soon. For a concise summary, see IP-Watch.
In short, that means: Countries incurred obligations without being informed about their rights. This was one of the important causes of the movement behind the Development Agenda.
Now that the attempt to push the whole Development Agenda discussion into the comparatively minor PCIPD committee has failed, some countries – especially the UK, usually on behalf of the Europeans and the USA – are trying to take the debate there issue by issue. This has led to a round of renewed procedural haggling.
I’m starting to wonder if there is intention behind this, or if it is pure inertia. I am inclined to distrust the good will of some in the assembly; but then, after talking to more people, it starts to seem more and more like pure inertia. Someone to whom I mentioned my suspicion said, and this could be counted as a general statement on the negotiations: “Never underestimate the capacity for ignorance.”
Some business NGO is offering cocktails on the top floor. Could be an interesting evening. But then, I can’t wait to get off my suit and tie. It’s so nice down at the Lake right now…