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Category: WIPO

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

Folklife at the International Level: Issues in Protecting Traditional Cultural Expressions

Posted by: Michelle Stefano

In the last “Folklife at the International Level” post, Wend Wendland, Director of WIPO’s Traditional Knowledge Division, recounted that the Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (IGC) was formed by WIPO member states in 2000. The aim was to discuss issues relating to the protection of TCEs (called at …

Posted in: AFC History, Fieldwork, Intangible Cultural Heritage, Native American History, WIPO

A man playing a guitar and singing to a close crowd of a dozen or so men and women

Folklife at the International Level: Traditional Cultural Expressions as Intellectual Property

Posted by: Michelle Stefano

In the first of the “Folklife at the International Level” series, I ended with a glimpse into the complex issues that arise when intellectual property (IP) protection is sought for “traditional cultural expressions,” or “TCEs,” the terminology used by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). On its website, WIPO describes such expressions as including “music, …

Posted in: Intangible Cultural Heritage, WIPO