Michael Geist's Toronto Star column this week deals with IP and the digital divide: the way that copyright is running smack up against the world's poorest countries' need to improve their lot in life.
The intellectual property digital divide is evident beyond the halls of the United Nations. Last week I attended a conference on Internet and intellectual property law issues in Beijing, China. The U.S. was represented by an embassy official who emphasized both the need for stronger criminal penalties for intellectual property infringement and the creation of policing institutions to address these issues. The official vigorously exhibited his disagreement when a Hong Kong law professor questioned the U.S. position, outlining many of the same concerns as those expressed weeks earlier in Geneva.
Moving beyond these hardened positions will require countries from both the developed and developing world to step up to bridge the divide. In many respects, Canada is ideally suited to break from the developed world pack to assume a leadership position. The federal government has set development assistance as a priority, committing significant new funding towards aid programs. The developing world needs more than just dollars, however. Canadian political support for the developing world's perspective on intellectual property needs would carry long-term benefits that would extend well after the current round of aid funding is exhausted.
(Thanks, Michael!)
