Tony Bennett, Differing diversities - Council of Europe

Reasearch position paper 7– means to provide for a proprietary right of indigenous peoples and farmingcommunities to any variety developed by or essentially derived from theknowledge of indigenous peoples or traditional farming communities, recognisingco-ownership among communities if necessary;– how and when the introduction of genetically modified varieties affects localspecies and ecosystems;– how the introduction of new varieties is likely to affect innovation activities inindigenous and local communities;– how information about intellectual properties being applied for (or granted)may be made digitally available in a form accessible to more of the world’speoples;– the benefits and savings of a patent prosecution process that would enableindigenous peoples (and market competitors who might be inclined to supportindigenous challenges to monopolies in their fields) to challenge pendingpatent applications on conventional legal grounds and for public interest purposes,and/or before a patent is issued.Indigenous peoples, cultural diversity, and the InternetIndigenous peoples have been active users of the Internet, using it to communicateamongst themselves and to others, to gain access to resources, to publish andaccess databases, and to provide alternative perspectives on issues that are notcovered in mainstream media (Cisler, 1998). Apple Computer’s Library ofTomorrow project, for example, funded several library, networking, and languagepreservation projects with American Indian tribes and similar initiatives are nowunderway around the globe. 31In some indigenous communities, elders have rejected new information technologies,but others see the Internet as a tool for cultural survival. Unfortunately, inmany areas of the world, electronic communications systems tend to reinforce traditionalhierarchical social structures which isolate and marginalise many indigenouspeoples (Donaghy, 1998). Whereas in the United States and Canada, indigenousnetworks have received extensive technical support from universities, inareas like Latin America such collaboration is rare (Donaghy, 1998). Europeanstates and regional governments can assist in these efforts. 32 Although many siteson the World Wide Web are effective in advocating on behalf of internationalreforms and mobilising support amongst northern activists unless these sitesbroadcast simultaneously in indigenous languages they can not serve as organisingtools for indigenous peoples in the south. For many indigenous languages,however, new fonts must be developed for use in digital environments. 33 This is afirst and fundamental step in the drive to realise the potential of new informationtechnologies for preserving cultural diversity. The maintenance, use, sharing, andrecognition of ITKIP is also dependent upon the revitalisation and revaluation ofindigenous languages.179