Kuwait warns of ‘legal piracy’ in Straits, urges protection of global trade
Ambassador Al-Hain flags threats to shipping routes, intellectual property and global supply chains: disrupting maritime routes is assault on global knowledge and economic security
The State of Kuwait has warned that any attempt to exploit international straits for financial or political leverage amounts to “legal piracy,” stressing that such practices threaten global supply chains and restrict access to vital medical and technological innovations.
The statement was delivered by Kuwait’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Ambassador Nasser Al-Hain, during the 67th session of the Assemblies of Member States of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in Geneva. He cautioned that the international system is facing mounting challenges that require a stronger link between political stability and the protection of knowledge and innovation.
Al-Hain emphasized that safeguarding international navigation—particularly through the Strait of Hormuz—is essential to ensuring the uninterrupted flow of inventions and technological products protected by global patents. He warned that imposing unlawful fees or obstructing shipping under weak pretexts constitutes a clear violation of Article 26 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Kuwait also reiterated its condemnation of hostile actions carried out by the Iranian regime and its proxies, describing them as direct threats to innovation infrastructure, ports, and vital facilities, as well as violations of state sovereignty.
The ambassador further criticized the escalation targeting global innovation systems, including attacks on research centers and threats to key maritime routes, describing such actions as breaches of international agreements governing intellectual property and global cooperation.
He warned that instability and conflict create opportunities for piracy networks and the illicit trade in counterfeit goods, undermining the principles of the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). He also highlighted the growing risks of cyberattacks targeting academic institutions and scientific databases.
Al-Hain stressed that the theft of research data poses a serious threat to humanity’s future, calling for urgent international measures to protect knowledge assets and scientific progress from exploitation.
He concluded that the sustainability of the global intellectual property system depends on activating effective international accountability mechanisms to counter practices that disrupt trade routes and undermine scientific achievements. Kuwait, he said, looks forward to concrete outcomes that reinforce international conventions and safeguard the global innovation environment.
