ICIP | terri-janke

Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP)

Indigenous Cultural and Intellectual Property (ICIP) refers to Indigenous peoples' rights to their cultural heritage based on the fundamental right to self-determination. Cultural heritage includes all aspects of cultural practices, traditional knowledge, resources and knowledge systems developed by Indigenous people as part of their Indigenous identity. This includes:

Artistic, literary and performance works (copyright)
Indigenous Languages
Different types of knowledge (e.g. plant and spiritual knowledge)
Tangible and intangible cultural property
Indigenous ancestral remains and genetic materials
Cultural and environmental resources
Sites of Indigenous significance
Documentation of Indigenous heritage and histories.

True Tracks® Principles to help protect ICIP:

Currently, the Australian legal system does not adequately protect ICIP rights. There are gaps in the law which means that unless Indigenous people can meet the requirements of intellectual property laws such as copyright, their cultural heritage is open to exploitation.

To address this issue, we developed True Tracks®, a 10 principle framework for working with Indigenous peoples to protect ICIP. True Tracks® provides the basis for the creation of ICIP Protocols for organisations, businesses and projects involving Indigenous peoples and ICIP.

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We can help you with

Delivering workshops on ICIP
Developing ICIP Protocols
Drafting research agreements
Drafting Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) agreements
Creating Community Engagement and Consultation guides and plans
Advising on the safeguarding of Traditional Knowledge and Traditional Cultural Expressions
Guiding on Indigenous cultural heritage issues