A Call for IP Reform from a Prominent NGO

Another non-government organization is calling for more open intellectual property systems worldwide. The UK-based Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufacture and Commerce (RSA) has released a statement called the Adelphi Charter which outlines how the international community could and should change domestic and international intellectual property laws to better serve the public interest. The RSA was founded in 1754 as an independent advocate for the arts and industry. It encourages "sustainable economic development and the release of human potential through a programme of projects and a national lecture programme". The Adelphi Charter was drafted by a group of pre-eminent legal scholars, artists, and scientists from around the world. In particular, the Adelphi Charter calls for a better balance between rights protection and the public domain, since the RSA suggests that the current schemes overly favour the protection of rights. The Charter lays out a "public interest" test that governments should have to meet before creating or extending intellectual property rights. The proposed test includes a presumption against creating new areas of intellectual property protection, extending existing privileges or extending the duration of rights, unless those seeking the change can establish though rigorous analysis and proof that the change will promote basic rights and economic well-being. The Charter also calls for extensive public consultation regarding changes to intellectual property laws. For news articles on the topic, see: The Economist and The BBC Summary by: James Kosa