Thursday, April 26, 2007

World Intellectual Property Day (April 26)

Today is World Intellectual Property Day. This comes on the heels of UNESCO World Book and Copyright Day, which was April 23. The theme for World Intellectual Property Day is "Encouraging Creativity." Yes, intellectual property (IP) and creativity are linked. Unfortunately, most of us see IP as stifling creativity, but that should not be so.

One group that is trying to ensure that IP does not stifle creativity is the Creative Commons. As they say:
In sum, the Creative Commons toolset encourages and enables participation in creativity by everyone, not only those with access to copyright lawyers. This is as it should be in modern democracies, where the tools for expression and creativity are available to everyone as everyday consumer goods.
How did people celebrate today? There are activities listed here. Maybe you can think ahead to next year and plan an activity in your place of work -- or with your users -- to think about creativity, inventions, and how they are entwined with intellectual property.


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