Oma Cultural Intellectual Property Rights
Phongsaly · North · Laos
The Oma, fewer than 2,000 people in seven villages of Phongsaly, are known for their embroidery. In 2019 a Max Mara collection copied their motifs and TAEC launched a campaign; then, with the villages' consent and power of attorney, it documented the designs, drafted a protection model and staged an exhibition on cultural appropriation with them. It treats this intangible heritage as collectively owned, but TAEC leads, with no documented leading role for the villages.
- Led by
- TAEC with the seven Oma villages; support from Voice, the Cultural Intellectual Property Rights Initiative and the EU delegation
- Status
- Active
- Participation
- Institution led, participatory
- Visitable
- No, it is a programme
- Website
- www.taeclaos.org/oma ↗
- Contact
- No public contact on record
- Last reviewed
- 1 October 2026
Verification
Verified
This place is backed by at least one primary and one secondary source, reviewed within the last twelve months. The sources appear below with their consultation dates.
- Verified two sources including a primary one, or first-hand knowledge of the place
- Partial one source on record
- Unverified starting knowledge, sources pending
Sources
- Página del trabajo con los oma en la web de TAEC ↗ · primary source · consulted on 1 October 2026 · TAEC
- Ficha de la subvención para los derechos culturales de los oma (2020-2021) ↗ · primary source · consulted on 1 October 2026 · Voice
- Noticia sobre la copia de diseños oma por Max Mara (2019) ↗ · secondary source · consulted on 1 October 2026 · The Laotian Times