HI HR142

Urges establishment of a Native Hawaiian Intellectual Property Task Force to develop a sui generis legal system protecting Native Hawaiian cultural intellectual property, traditional cultural expressions, and genetic resources.

Directs Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, Department of Commerce and Consumer Affairs, Department of Land and Natural Resources, and University of Hawaii System to collaborate with Hawaiian civic organizations, Office of Hawaiian Affairs, and Native Hawaiian legal scholars to form the task force.

Requires task force to consult with indigenous communities as appropriate in developing protective frameworks.

Mandates task force submit recommendations and proposed legislation to the Legislature no later than twenty days before the convening of the Regular Session of 2022.

Identifies the western intellectual property system as inadequate for protecting indigenous collective knowledge and cites examples of cultural appropriation, including Aloha Poke Co. issuing cease-and-desist letters to small poke businesses for using the words "Aloha" and "Poke."