Arab Knowledge Report 2009: Towards Productive

TABLE 2-2Arab Countries according to their ties to tradeagreements and intellectual propertyArab Non-Members in the WTOArab Members in the WTOArab signatories to a bilateral freetrade agreement with the USAAlgeria Jordan JordanIraq UAE BahrainSudan Bahrain MoroccoYemen Djibouti OmanLebanonOccupied Palestinian TerritoriesSyriaKuwaitMoroccoSaudi ArabiaTunisiaEgyptMauritaniaQatarOmanSource: Muhammad al-Sa‘id and Ahmad ‘Abd al-Latif, background paper for the Report, in Arabic.reflect a clear vision directed towardsestablishing a national perspective oninnovation, the catalysis of creativity,and development of local knowledgecontent.REGULATING INTELLECTUALPROPERTY IN THE ARABWORLD: DISPARITY ANDOCCASIONAL EXAGGERATIONPerhaps without realizing the importanceof intellectual property, Arab legislationhas codified the restrictions that newinternational legislation dictates, basedon the priorities of those countries mostadvanced economically, technologically,and in terms of knowledge performance.There is considerable disparity among theArab countries in terms of the featuresof regulatory systems that protect therights of intellectual property, dependingon how closely tied they are to the TRIPSagreement. As a corollary, it is possibleto divide Arab countries according to theregulations currently on their books forthe protection of intellectual propertyinto three groups, on the basis of howclosely they apply the standards found ininternational accords (see Table 2-2).The first group includes Arab countrieswith fewer laws and standards than existin the multilateral international systemrepresented by the TRIPS agreement. Anexample is Yemen, which grants copyrightfor thirty years, rather than the fifty of theaccord. Countries of the second groupinclude Arab members of the WTO. Allobligations and standards on the protectionof intellectual property as set out in theseaccords are necessarily incumbent uponthem as a fundamental and inescapablecondition for membership. The third groupis composed of those Arab countries thatare members in the WTO but which, atthe same time, are party to a number ofadditional trade agreements, such as freetrade agreements or a bilateral economiccooperation agreement with the UnitedStates or the European Union. Theseagreements usually stipulate additional andmore stringent restrictions and standardsfor intellectual property protection thanthose set out in the TRIPS agreement.In fact, these agreements reflect theinterest of mega-corporations and theterms of advanced countries, leaving littlescope for creativity in developing countries.Free tradeagreements usuallystipulate additionaland more stringentrestrictions andstandards forintellectual propertyprotection thanthose set out in theTRIPS agreementARAB KNOWLEDGE PERFORMANCE ENVIRONMENTS79