April 29, 2009   12:00 PM - 2:00 PM IDLW

The Environmental Law Institute
2000 L Street, N.W., Suite 620
Washington, D.C. 20036



The District of Columbia Bar, Environment, Energy, and Natural Resources Section in Co-Sponsorship with the International Law Section, the Intellectual Property Law Section, and the Environmental Law Institute present a Brown Bag Program on “Equity and Commercial Rights for Genetic Resources."
 
Panelists:

Susan Finston, Esquire, Executive Director of the Access and Benefit Sharing Alliance
Michael Gollin, Esquire, Venable LLP, and founder of Public Interest Intellectual Property Advisors (PIIPA), a pro bono service for developing country clients
Dr. David Newman, Chief, Natural Products Branch, National Cancer Institute
Dr. Leonard Hirsch, International Programs, Smithsonian Institution
David Hegwood, Esquire, former USDA representative to the FAO
 
Moderator: Richard J. Blaustein
 
Description: Who owns the rights to the genetic history of the rain forest? How will scientists gain access to the next miracle drug? In recent years, access to genetic rights has become an important issue for transactions, intellectual property rights, and equity claims. Attempts to secure genetic resources now often include extended interactions with the host country and its indigenous and local populations, particularly regarding uses of these resources.

Lawyers working for clients in biomedical or agricultural industries or for research and educational interests frequently encounter many new challenges while trying to negotiate access to genetic resources. Moreover, the issue is being discussed in important international fora, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, the UN Food and Agriculture International Treaty for Plant and Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, and the TRIPS discussions within the WTO negotiations. A UN-mandated international regime for genetic resources under the Convention on Biological Diversity is expected to be finalized in 2010. 
 
This discussion will focus on the evolving understanding of genetic resources, intellectual property facets of genetic resources access and usage, the ongoing and interrelated discussions in the various international fora, and specific arrangements, such as material transfer agreements, that pertain to genetic resource access. The insights offered by panelists and the issues encompassed in the discussion have direct pertinence to domestic and international legal understandings, especially, but not exclusively, with regard to intellectual property, commercial, and equitable rights.