Towards a
“World Intellectual Wealth Organisation”
Supporting the Geneva Declaration
The Geneva Declaration is an impressive step towards the creation of a broad coalition of people, organisations and countries1 demanding that the international community re-think the goals and mechanisms for awarding monopoly control over different kinds of knowledge. It offers many constructive, concrete suggestions for changes in WIPO goals, policies and priorities, and provides ample and insightful arguments for redesign of the copyright and patent bargains to better serve the public interest of all of humankind.
We are convinced that new answers sometimes require new questions, not more careful repetition of old questions. A World Intellectual Property Organisation will always, understandably, lean towards applying the pre-selected tool-set of monopolisation that it refers to as Intellectual Property; a term that we find to be ideologically charged and dangerously oblivious to the significant differences that exist between the many areas of law that it tries to subsume.
While it may look at better, possibly more socially sustainable ways of granting ownership-like monopolies over different forms of knowledge, WIPO will not have an easy time looking for alternative solutions. WIPO is not what we need.
We need a World Intellectual Wealth Organisation, dedicated to the research and promotion of novel and imaginative ways to encourage the production and dissemination of knowledge. Granting limited monopolies and limited control over some kinds of knowledge may be part of this new organisation's tool-set, but not the only one, and maybe not even the most important one.
We endorse and support the Geneva Declaration, and invite its drafters, signatories, and the United Nations to start thinking now not only about what the role of WIPO should be, but rather what kind of organisation we need in its place.
References
- Proposal by Argentina and Brazil for the establishment of a development agenda for WIPO: http://www.wipo.int/edocs/mdocs/govbody/en/wo_ga_31/wo_ga_31_11.pdf
Signatories
Organizační
- ANSOL - Associação Nacional para o Software Livre
- APRIL
- Asociación Software Libre y Patrimonio Intelectual Libre
- Association for Free Software (AFFS)
- Assoli - Associazione Software Libero
- Cellularity Limited - clustered solid state FLOSS systems
- Cosenza Hacklab
- Free Software Corsica
- Free Software Foundation Europe
- Free Software Foundation of India
- Free Software Foundation Latin America
- Free Software Foundation, United States
- Free Software User Group Italia
- FriBit
- Fundación Conocimiento Libre
- Global Alternate Information Applications (GAIA), India
- GNU-Darwin Distribution
- Hipatia
- HMN Napoli Hacklab
- indietorrent.org Digital Music Marketplace
- Infusion Systems Ltd.
- IP Charter
- IT-Politisk Forening
- La Fundación Vía Libre
- LibreTrend
- Linux User Group Bozen-Bolzano-Bulsan
- Movimento Costozero
- Multitude
- Netzwerk Neue Medien
- OpenCraft
- OrionRobots
- Projeto Software Livre Brasil
- Stichting NLnet
- Stichting Vrijschrift
- UKUUG - the UK's Unix and Open Systems User Group
- UN WSIS - Civil Society Patents, Copyright, Trademarks (PCT) Working Group
- Verein zur Förderung Freier Software
- Wikimedia Italia
- WilhelmTux
- Ynternet.org - Free communication for communities
Inviduální
- Abdel-Karim Mardini
- Adam Johnston
- Alessandro Rubini
- Alex García Giménez
- Alex Hudson
- Alexander Valyalkin
- Alexandr Kazda
- Alexandre Oliva
- Allan Irving
- Allen Elledge
- Andrea Russo
- André Ockers
- André Proulx
- Andrés Dimitriu
- Angel Sullca
- Anivar Aravind
- Anne Østergaard
- Antonio Prado
- Arnau Fuentes
- Arthur B.
- Aurélien Desbrières
- Axel Mulder
- Beatriz Busaniche
- Benjamin Pritchard
- Benoît Sibaud
- Bernhard Reiter
- Björn Schießle
- Bob Trower
- Bryan Michael Baldwin
- Bry1ie 0xley
- Carlo Buonauro
- Carlos Atarés
- Christian Hagen
- Christian Selig
- Christophe Vieren
- Claitom Sega
- Claus Reheis
- Colin Macdonald
- Daniel Molina García
- Daniel P. Valentine
- Daniel Staple
- Daniele Maria Bertin
- Dariusz Jakubowski
- David Ayers
- Davide Valenti
- Denis Derman
- Diego Saravia
- Edward Welbourne
- Emerson French
- Enrique A. Chaparro
- Fabio Bossi
- Federico Heinz
- Felipe de Sousa Nascimento
- Félix Hauri
- Felix Pahl
- Filippo Rusconi
- Francis MUGUET
- Franco Iacomella
- Frédéric Couchet
- Geoffrey Lehr
- Georg Greve
- George Adly
- Georges Cerrand
- Giacomo Poderi
- Giancarlo Zinoni
- Gianluca Tararbra
- Grace Lloyd
- Graham Seaman
- Gergely MÁTÉ
- Gustavo A. Zanetti
- Heiki Ojasild
- Henrik Sandklef
- Herminia Blesa
- Hervé Le Crosnier
- Hugo Roy
- Irucka Embry
- Isaac Arias González
- Ivar Castro
- Jahzeel Salmerón Abarca
- Jean-Marc Le Peuvédic
- Jeffrey G. Hankins Jr.
- Jeroen Dekkers
- Jonas Oberg
- Jonathan Grant
- Jonathan Rothwell
- Jordi Burguet Castell
- Jose Andres Diz Alonso
- Jose C. Varela
- José Luis M. Moreno
- Josh Triplett
- Joshua Gay
- Juan Carlos Gentile
- Julio Cesar Serrano Ortuno
- Kaleb Phillpott
- Karl Berry
- Karsten Gerloff
- Koen Torfs
- Kyle Isom
- Kyller Costa Gorgônio
- Lacraia
- Lars Noodén
- Leandro Guimarães Faria Corcete Dutra
- Leopoldo Ghielmetti
- Luca Tius
- Luis de Bethencourt Guimerá
- MJ Ray
- MWAKALI Jackson Araali
- Macarena Cruz
- Malla Pollack
- Marc SCHAEFER
- Marcelo D'Elia Branco
- Marco Ciurcina
- Marko Dimjašević
- Maria Jesús Ruiz
- Marie-Magdeleine Bechier
- Markus Beckedahl
- Markus Fischer
- Martin Gollowitzer
- Martin Olivera
- Matija Šuklje
- Matthias Kirschner
- Meneleo John O. Mendoza, IV
- Michael Ageeb
- Michael Kesper
- Michael L. Love
- Michel Roche
- Michele Ferrari
- Mohamad Rashad
- Myriam Schweingruber
- Nathan S. Wessel
- Nicholas Hill
- Noah Slater
- Ole Tange
- Олга К. Нанова (Olga K. Nanova)
- Omar Kaminski
- Pablo Machón
- Patrick Ohnewein
- Pavel Kačer
- Piero Trono
- Rady W. Fahmy
- Ramprasad B
- Raphael Payen
- Reinhard Müller
- Renich Bon Ciric
- Riccardo Murri
- Richard Stallman
- Rik van Riel
- Robin Placzek
- Romel Sandoval
- Rory V. Filgueras
- Russell McOrmond
- Samuel Alvarado Agama
- Sandro Santilli
- Sean Lundquist
- Sebastien Chassot
- Shane Beller
- Silke Helfrich
- Simon Ruggier
- Simone Piccardi
- Stas D. Myasnikov
- Stefano Barale
- Stefano Maffulli
- Steven C. Morreale
- Sébastien DINOT
- Sławomir Domagała
- Théo Bondolfi
- Tiberius Brastaviceanu
- Tom Cowap
- Tomas Nordin
- Tony Bassette
- Umit Uygur
- Vesselin Mladenov
- Vladimir O. Makarov (Владимир Олегович Макаров)
- Volker Dormeyer
- Will Fris
- Wojciech Gac
- Wong Onn Chee
- Xander Kaempfer-Maurer
- Xavier Reina
- Yannick Gingras
- Yasmin R. Defouni
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