The World Intellectual Property Organization has posted a tribute to legendary American folk singer, songwriter and activist Pete Seeger, who died on 27 January at the age of 94.
At the start of this week’s meeting of the WIPO Intergovernmental Committee on Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (IGC), WIPO recalled Seeger’s remarks to the committee in 2006.
His ideas were presented to the committee “built upon Seeger’s then-novel ideas for a United Nations Public Domain Commission to share royalties of copyrighted folk songs with the ‘place and people where the song originated’,” WIPO said in its tribute. At WIPO, he advocated for indigenous and local communities to have more control over their traditional resources.
Seeger had a profound impact on American culture and on the rights of average citizens and workers over his long career. Along with group The Weavers, he sang and wrote a range of core American folk songs.