Proposal for a WTO Agreement on the Supply of Knowledge as a Public

Good

Susan Isiko Štrba

Open A.I.R Conference on Innovation and IP in Africa & 3rd Global Congress

on IP and the Public Interest 2013 Cape Town, 9 - 14 December 2013

Some reflections

• Voluntary offers with binding commitments

• Controversy around “public good”. We need to convince (another term?)

• Challenges of international cooperation to supply GPG – in area of climate change, clean technology, or even example from WTO of tech transfer (not really GPG)

opportunities

• Global public goods will require global participation, eg, environment

• Will be seen as a Platform for engagement – Governments become stakeholders than by-standers

– African government officers will see it as a multilateral problem

• Create para-IP policies – that have the capacity to contain the maximalist/strong IP rights (education, rural development, security, government procurement)

• But since WTO does not have experience in “supplying”, have to find a way to change mind set

Likely political/Institutional hurdles

• Does WTO have mandate?

– Yes, maybe not outlined in the Instruments but need

– It’s about convincing and coalition-building

Thank You

Susan.isikostrba@graduateinstitute.ch