Bio
Brigitte Vézina is a fellow at CIGI and the Director of Policy, Open Culture and GLAM at Creative Commons. Brigitte is an expert on international negotiations for the intellectual property (IP) protection of traditional cultural expressions and IP issues around cultural appropriation in the fashion industry. From 2006 to 2016, she worked as a legal officer in the Traditional Knowledge Division at the World Intellectual Property Organization in Geneva, where she dealt with IP issues related to cultural heritage. Her past experience includes work in the Cultural Enterprise and Copyright Section at the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization in Paris, and with the Montreal-based IP law firm Robic. Brigitte holds a bachelor’s degree in law from the University of Montreal (2002) and a master’s in law from Georgetown University (2005, with distinction). She has been a member of the Quebec Bar since 2003.