Indigenous Developmental Networks and the Non-Developmental State: Making Intellectual Property Work for Indigenous People Without Patents

Abstract

Indigenous people face problems of economic underdevelopment, including in wealthy states such as Australia, Canada, New Zealand and the United States. The knowledge assets of indigenous people form a potential source of income, but this potential has largely not been realized because of extractive state property orders. Drawing on fieldwork from Australia, the paper argues that indigenous people are addressing the problem of extractive intellectual property orders through developmental networks that protect their knowledge assets. The paper provides examples of how an indigenous developmental network can build capacity and trust by enrolling scientists into its network.