Open A.I.R Traditional Knowledge (TK) Commons Forum

One of the six Open A.I.R. Thematic Working Groups, the group focussing on the concept of the traditional knowledge (TK) commons, met at the University of Cape Town (UCT) in February 2012 for a forum entitled "Non-Traditional Users of Traditional Knowledge (TK): Opportunities and Challenges around Compliance". The meeting, convened by the non-profit group Natural Justice: Lawyers for Communities and the Environment, brought together lawyers and legal researchers working in Ghana, Kenya and South Africa with traditional healers from South Africa. As outlined in the report attached below, the meeting addressed a range of issues, including: (1) how to define the concept of a TK commons; (2) modes for pooling and sharing of TK; (3) the perspectives of traditional healers in relation to notions of TK-sharing; and (4) possible policy frameworks in suppor of TK commons arrangements.