§ Mrs. SpelmanTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development if she will make a statement on the report of the Commission on Intellectual Property Rights. [76891]
§ Clare ShortThe report of the Commission on Intellectual Property Rights "Integrating Intellectual Property Rights and Development Policy" was published on 12 September this year. I attended a launch event in Geneva on 16 September, along with Dr. Supachai Panitchpakdi, Director General of the 547W World Trade Organisation, and Dr. Kamil Idris, Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organisation. The report has been widely commended as an important contribution to the debate on how intellectual property rules and practices can work better for developing countries, and contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.
The Government established the commission as part of its wider effort to ensure global rules and institutions serve all countries equitably and take full account of the needs of developing countries. The commissioners, two of whom were from developing countries, brought a wide range of expertise to bear in science, law and economics. They included representatives from Government, the legal profession, academia and industry. The report is available in the Libraries of the House and on the commission's website www.iprcommission.org.
The Government are grateful to the commission for its report. We welcome it as a very useful and constructive contribution to the debate on these important issues. We will encourage the widest possible debate on its proposals and will make it available in all relevant fora. Although commissioned by the British Government, the recommendations of the commission are directed at policymakers in all Governments, at the national and international institutions involved in intellectual property policy, and other important stakeholders such as industry and NGOs. The Government hope serious consideration will be given by these bodies to the recommendations of the report.
There is much detail in the report which requires careful consideration. The Government are currently considering its own response to the detailed recommendations of the commission and hopes to publish this early next year.
§ Dr. TongeTo ask the Secretary of State for International Development what action the Government are planning to implement the recommendations in the report of the Commission on Intellectual Property Rights. [76968]
§ Clare ShortThe Government are currently considering the detailed recommendations of the report of the Commission on Intellectual Property Rights. We have welcomed the report as an important contribution to the debate on how intellectual property rules and practices can work better for developing countries, and contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.
It is planned that the Government's response to the report will be published early next year. That response will set out how they plan to address the Commission's recommendations and to pursue their implementation. It should be noted that most of the report's recommendations are directed to all governments and institutions involved with intellectual property. The Government hope these other bodies will also consider carefully the report's recommendations.
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