Collective Intellectual Property in Michoacán: Negotiating Economic and Cultural Agendas in the Artisanal Field

• Main Author: Lucero Ibarra Rojas
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Oñati International Institute for the Sociology of Law 2016-09-01
• Series: Oñati Socio-Legal Series
• Subjects: Intellectual property; designations of origin; collective trademarks; Propiedad intelectual; denominaciones de origen; marcas colectivas
• Online Access: http://opo.iisj.net/index.php/osls/article/view/507

<p>The state of Michoac&aacute;n, M&eacute;xico, has almost 50 collective trademarks registered for artisanal products, which were created by initiative of different state institutions. This article aims to understand the different influences that are mediated by law when collective forms of intellectual property are incorporated and negotiated by different institutions with different aims within the realm of the state. By looking closely at the experience in Michoac&aacute;n, I argue that two economic/cultural agendas can be identified. On the one hand, there is the federal agenda that aims for a national and international projection of a Mexican product, focused on the successfully industrialized national products closely linked with M&eacute;xico's imagery for a foreign audience. On the other hand, there are the expectations of Michoac&aacute;n's local government, which are strongly related with a pluralist discourse and with the different policy approaches it inspires. Between the two, the country&rsquo;s cultural agenda becomes shaped by economic concerns that are, in turn, defined by the worldviews of state institution's agents.</p> <hr /><p>El estado de Michoac&aacute;n, M&eacute;xico, tiene casi 50 marcas colectivas de productos artesanales, que fueron registradas por iniciativa de diferentes instituciones estatales. Este art&iacute;culo busca comprender las variadas influencias que son mediadas por el derecho cuando se incorporan formas colectivas de propiedad intelectual, mediante la negociaci&oacute;n de diferentes instituciones con diferentes objetivos dentro del &aacute;mbito estatal. A trav&eacute;s de la experiencia de Michoac&aacute;n, sostengo que se pueden identificar dos agendas econ&oacute;micas/culturales. Por un lado, se encuentra la agenda federal que busca una proyecci&oacute;n nacional e internacional de un producto identificable como mexicano, enfoc&aacute;ndose en los productos nacionales que han tenido una industrializaci&oacute;n exitosa. Por otro lado, se encuentran las expectativas del gobierno local de Michoac&aacute;n, que se relacionan &iacute;ntimamente con el discurso pluralista y con las diferentes visiones de pol&iacute;ticas p&uacute;blicas que este inspira. Entre estas dos agendas, la agenda cultural del pa&iacute;s es modelada a partir de preocupaciones econ&oacute;micas que, a su vez, son definidas por las visiones de los agentes de las instituciones estatales.</p><p><strong>DOWNLOAD THIS PAPER FROM SSRN</strong>: <a href="http://ssrn.com/abstract=2832215" target="_blank">http://ssrn.com/abstract=2832215</a></p>