"The 135-page guide is aimed at the innumerable craftspeople and
artists throughout the developing world who often don't know how to
protect themselves from unscrupulous imitators of their creations,"
says María-Mercedes Sala, ITC's Senior Market Development
Officer.
"Not only is this obviously unfair to these artists and
artisans, but the craft and visual arts sectors of developing and
transition countries constitute a substantial part of their
national cultural heritage. Their creations are important for
sustainable economic development and for efforts to reduce
poverty."
In a preface to Marketing Crafts and Visual Arts: the Role
of Intellectual Property, J. Denis Bélisle, Executive Director
of ITC, and Kamil Idris, Director General of WIPO, point out that
"with the ease and speed of copying and imitation, the market can
simply get flooded with lookalike products or downright
copies.
"The real challenge for artisans and visual artists (painters,
sculptors and photographers) is not just to produce and market
winning new products that cater to changing consumer tastes, but
also to prevent - or, if unable to prevent, to deal effectively
with - unfair competition or theft of their creative ideas."
Preventing unfair competition
They point out that the intellectual property (IP) system is "the
best available tool for deterring unfair competition and for
creating and maintaining exclusivity over creative and innovative
output in the marketplace".
There are many different types of IP, such as copyright,
trademarks, patents and certification marks.
"Registering with intellectual property offices, either
individually or through a professional association, need not be a
costly process," says Ms Sala, "contrary to what is commonly
thought."
The ITC-WIPO guide informs artisans and artists in developing
countries on "why, where, when and how" they should consider using
IP to market more successfully their creations in other
countries.
"Let's put it another way," the ITC official continues. "The
raison d'être of ITC is to help people in developing countries to
export their goods and creations.
"With this guide, we can help these creators to determine why
they should protect their work with IP rights, what measures are
best suited to their particular needs and business, what the costs
and practical business benefits of such protection would be, how to
find information about IP and locate the relevant local IP offices,
and whether to join collective copyright management associations or
institutions.
"We hope that the guide will be as relevant for a modern,
city-based enterprise in a fast-paced business environment, as for
a person belonging to an indigenous group, or for a traditional
artist or craftsperson."
Among the individuals, groups, firms or institutions likely to
find the book useful are: employed artisans and their associations;
visual artists; self-employed craft entrepreneurs; associations of
craft industries; trade and other support institutions; trade
development professionals or business consultants; governmental and
non-governmental organizations working to develop the craft and
visual art sectors; and teachers and trainers involved in marketing
and export promotion of crafts and art.
Practical cases
One chapter offers case studies of how artists and artisans have
used IP to protect their creations and enhance their chances of
business success. They range from panama hats in Ecuador,
African-style furniture in Senegal, Maori arts and crafts in New
Zealand, pottery in Slovakia and silversmithing in Nepal to Harris
Tweed cloth in Scotland's Outer Hebrides, an artist's designs in
the United States and Garrison Guitars in Canada.
ITC at UNCTAD XI
- High-level Panel on Creative Industries and
Development - 13 June. J. Denis Bélisle, ITC's
Executive Director, is a panellist for this session in São Paolo.
He will voice the export concerns of visual artists.
For more information, contact María-Mercedes Sala, ITC
Senior Market Development Officer, at sala@intracen.org To order a
copy of the guide, see page 39 of this magazine or visit ITC's
E-Shop (http://www.intracen.org/eshop).