The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is pleased to announce the release of the update of its Guide on Managing Intellectual Property for Museums first published in 2007 and authored by Mrs. Rina Pantalony, Coordinator, Intellectual Property Projects in the Department of Cinema Studies at the Tisch School of the Arts, New York University.
Effective use of the intellectual property (IP) system offers museums across the world significant opportunities to better understand the full potential of their collections and to increase the overall quality of preservation for their cultural heritage assets. The main objective of this update is to reflect the significant developments that have taken place in the international debate, in particular regarding Digital Rights Management (DRM), the role of social media, traditional knowledge, and the discussions that have taken place among WIPO Member States in the context of the Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP) and the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR).
The Guide is comprised of two parts. In its first part, it describes IP issues relevant to museums and cultural heritage institutions, such as rights in scholarly content, technologies developed in-house and branding tools. Most importantly, it provides a roadmap on how museums may survey, catalogue and document their intellectual property.
The second part reviews existing business models that could provide museums with appropriate opportunities to create sustainable funding and deliver on their stated objectives.
Please do take a look