INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHT

Today, amid global debates on trade and regulatory reforms, the Austrian Economics Center has joined the Property Rights Alliance (PRA) in an open letter to WIPO Director Dr. Francis Gurry in support of strong protections for all types of IP.

This broad international coalition of 85 organizations from 51 countries calls for global policymakers to bear serious consideration to the integral role that the IP rights of innovators, creators and entrepreneurs plays in economic, technological and cultural advancement. Signatories argue that policymakers should focus on preserving and enhancing IP protections by seeking solutions to systemic IP theft and damage.

The letter offers governments and NGOs guidelines on the protection of the rule of law, transparency, and the international protection of property rights, which must be part of the backbone of any free market economy in the 21st century. IP is fundamental, the groups argue, to promoting free speech, free trade, and fair competition. Creators and innovators must be protected from theft and counterfeit. As Article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights points out, intellectual property rights are human rights crucial to moral and material well being.

Please click here to read the “International Guidelines on Intellectual Property Rights.”