HIV continues to spread throughout the world, posing increasing challenges to human rights, at both national and global levels. The epidermic continues to be marked by discrimination against certain population groups; those who live on the fringes of the society or who are assumed to be at risk because of their behaviour, race, ethnicity and sexual orientation, gender or social characteristics that are stigmatised in a particular society. As the number of people living with HIV/AIDS continues to grow in nations with different economies, social structures and legal systems, HIV/AIDS related human rights issues are not only becoming noticeable, but also increasingly diverse.
Copyrights may provide more effective protection for indigenous
knowledge than other forms of intellectual property such as patents, trademarks, and
97 confidential information. The most important aspect of copyright law may be neighboring rights. Neighboring rights are provided to those who perform in ceremonies or belong to groups which hold knowledge. The rights of indigenous peoples must be protected with international laws as well as national laws which are designed to protect those with indigenous knowledge. Model Licensing Agreements as well as university
involvement in indigenous knowledge are also essential for international indigenous knowledge protection.