World Congress on Combatting Piracy and South-Centre side-event

On Feb 3-5 2008 a World Congress on Combating Counterfeiting and Piracy will be held in Dubai. Feeling that this event, which is organized by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Interpol, the World Customs Organization, and other groups, will "lack multi-stakeholder participation, particularly from civil society," the South Centre will host a side-event on Feb 4 entitled "Policy Options for Developing Countries on the Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights." According to the South Centre:

The Congress seeks to advance a global consensus on priority actions that reflect a one-sided agenda on strengthening enforcement of intellectual property rights. Though lacking official endorsement,the recommendations so far produced by the Congress provide a narrow perspective on the enforcement of intellectual property rights that unduly shift the burden of private rights enforcement to government.