Symposium on Traditional Cultural Expression and International Law
Intellectual property law was initially developed on the basis of a simple binary between ‘creative’ art and ‘copies’. Folk art and indigenous art became part of the ‘public domain’. Hybrid art forms such as world music, advertising, tourism and new age religions have all made use of traditional cultural expression for financial gain, without recognising protocols for use, or even acknowledging the originators of this material. In recent years there has been increasing recognition of the need to protect indigenous symbols, music, stories and performances from exploitation. This symposium brings together international copyright experts, Aboriginal artists, and humanities and social science researchers to discuss the World Intellectual Property Organisation draft protocols for the protection of traditional cultural expression. This protocol has the potential to change the shape of the public domain, and to secure indigenous rights against the appropriation of their art. Yet, it is unclear what rights should be acknowledged, and the extent of these rights.
Date
15 December 2008
Venue
Monash Conference Centre, Melbourne
Program
Symposium on Traditional Cultural Expression and International Law program 
8.1 kb
Keynote speaker
- Professor Rosemary J. Coombe
Invited speakers
- Professor Johanna Gibson
- Richard J. Frankland
- Vicki Couzens
- Dr Maryrose Casey
- Dr John Bradley
- Dr Luigi Palombi
- Professor Peter Drahos
- Professor Christoph Antons
Abstracts
Symposium on Traditional Cultural Expression and International Law abstracts 12.2 kb
Contact
Symposium on Traditional Cultural Expression and International Law enquiries
Conveners
Elizabeth Burns Coleman (Communications and Philosophy)
Christopher Arup (Business Law)
Supporters
English, Communications and Performance Studies, and Centre for Australian Indigenous Studies, Faculty of Arts Department of Business Law and Taxation, Faculty of Business and Economics Monash University.