Topic: International Intellectual Property Protection
Country: Panama
Delegate Name: Nick Smith
School: Vicksburg High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Panama position papers GLIMUN 2017 committees
Intellectual property is the use of copyrights, trademarks, or patents to be a legal owner of an idea or concept. The benefits and protection of these differ in each country, but the main goal is usually the same: protecting the ideas that may lead to a stronger business or economy. There are products being made and thought up everyday that could lead to a change in a nation’s economy and boost the national welfare.
However, while the inventor of a product may be protected from IP theft in that particular country there is nothing stopping another person from around the world from taking the idea and using it for themselves. There are guidelines and regulations that prohibit this, but they are not enforced as well as they should be.
Intellectual property, and the protection of said property, is important to the Republic of Panama. Panama joined the World Intellectual Property Organization in 1983, in hopes to make a stable set of regulations to help promote the protection of intellectual property. The Panamanian government sees intellectual property theft as a crime, and punishes those who commit it. The Republic of Panama hopes to see more guidelines made, and followed, for the betterment of the protection offered for intellectual property around the world.
While the making and enforcing new regulations could hurt an economy temporarily by making it harder to obtain the patents and copyrights or trademarks, Panama believes the long term effects will help those countries by giving better protection to their intellectual property. The Republic of Panama looks forward to further discussing the topic in committee.
