GRAIN’s response to:

Against Ecological and Information Enclosures: Towards a Convergence of "Commons"

Shalini Bhutani, February 4 2008

The Commons Levelling off on “commons” as we/GRAIN see it Idea of community vis-à-vis the commons Relationship between living world (natural “resource”s) & living beings (peoples a subpart of that)

Critique of private “property”

Private might mean profit, but it is NOT progress!

Role of State (balance between intervention & interference) & it protecting property rights

Problem of “rights”

Guardianship / Stewardship – a case against “rights” a step towards responsibilities

The Enclosures

In AGRICULTURE & BIODIVERSITY

The injustices, exclusion, appropriation…

Instances from

- international laws

- biodiversity regulation

- agricultural research

- knowledge “protection”

- seed legislation

Information vs. Knowledge – “Public domain”

What is/ought to be non “own”able!

What are we fighting against and FOR? The articulation, something:

- ethically sound

- ecologically benign

- socially sensitive

- culturally appropriate

- locally defined

The Convergence(Only) next step - “common”alities, possibilities

READING LIST

The clamour for "commons"

http://www.grain.org/seedling/?id=439

Redefining "property”...

http://www.grain.org/seedling/?id=258

Freedom from IPR: Towards a convergence of movements

http://www.grain.org/seedling/?id=301

Good ideas turned bad? A glossary of rights-related terminology

http://www.grain.org/seedling/?id=259

What's wrong with "rights"?

http://www.grain.org/seedling/?id=495