"Local communities" and traditional knowledge at WIPO: a very broad application?

The World Intellectual Property Organization's Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (IGC) is negotiating a text in anticipation of a Diplomatic Conference to agree on binding obligations for traditional knowledge (TK). The holders of this TK are Indigenous Peoples and "local communities". This article addresses the identity of local communities in the context of TK. The analysis shows that "local communities" are likely to be very broadly conceived as groupings of people linked by social ties and shared common perspectives across generations in some form of geographical location or setting. If this is intended, then TK as a new form of intellectual property will have a very broad application and a very exciting future for practitioners that extends TK well into the economies of developed countries.