When the TRIPS Agreement was concluded in 1994, many saw it as embodying a new gold standard of intellectual property protection that not only reformed the Paris and Berne Conventions but also made further IP agreements unnecessary. Although this optimistic vision has eroded – obligations to protect IP rights can now be found in trade agreements and can be enforced before domestic courts and investor–state tribunals – the Agreement continues to pervade trends and developments in international law, not only in IP but in trade law also. This comprehensive commentary on the past, present, and future of the Agreement focuses on its influence on key topics in IP as well as on enforcement and dispute resolution. The editors have assembled a group of renowned IP law practitioners and academics who, taking each area of IP law, in turn, show the extent to which TRIPS provisions have survived, expanded, or been supplanted by other bodies. Their analysis covers the different IP rights addressed in the TRIPS Agreement (copyrights; trade marks; geographical indications; patents; data protection and enforcement) both in historical perspective and in their development in the last 25 years. An additional three chapters cover: most-favoured-nation obligations in regard of subsequent free trade agreements; how societal interests alter the interpretation of TRIPS obligations; the judicial role in the WTO panels and Appellate Body; minimum standards and reduction of flexibilities in IP policy; relationship of WTO/TRIPS with other international agreements. As intellectual property becomes more pervasive in society than ever before – and as both technology related to the use of IP and the way protected works are consumed have changed beyond recognition over the past 25 years – jurists, academics, and practitioners in IP and trade law will welcome this unique opportunity to test the true scope of national sovereignty in the interpretation of intellectual property rights.

This study examines each of the 73 articles of the TRIPS Agreement. Where an article has implications for a WIPO-administered treaty, there is an in-depth examination of that article, pointing out possible changes in the obligations of a state. This study does not constitute an official interpretation of the WIPO-administered treaties nor of the TRIPS Agreement.

The book explores the WIPO journey so far and looks at how relevant the treaties are in contemporary world after 25 years of their existence. It revisits the WIPO Diplomatic Conference, narrates briefly how the Internet Treaties came into being, describes all the developments germane to the Internet Treaties over the last twenty-five years and examines at length how well these treaties withstood the creative gales of destruction having a bearing on the production, distribution and consumption of digital content. The retrospective consists of two parts. The first part looks back at the conference, its course of events, its negotiation dynamics, the doctrinal differences and sharply conflicting economic interests underlying the stands taken by the main parties to negotiations and the national and transnational interest groups that sought to influence the negotiation process and outcomes. The second part reflects on the outcomes and assesses with the wisdom of hindsight, how appropriate the outcomes were and how well they withstood the passage of time. This second aspect is the main focus of this book. The retrospective is limited to the digital agenda of DipCon; but for the digital agenda, the DipCon is convened so soon and the Internet Treaties concluded so fast. The book provides rich material for researchers studying the WIPO journey and also the practitioners by throwing light on discussions that led to a treaty that has in general withstood the trials of time.

It is a guide to the WTO's Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).

Recognized since its first edition as the preeminent work on its subject, this incomparable book thoroughly and expertly examines the intricacies of the provisions concerning trademarks and industrial designs enshrined in the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (the TRIPS Agreement). It is organized as a paragraph-by-paragraph annotated text of the Agreement, with detailed commentary not only on the articles specifically dealing with industrial property but also on every clause in the agreement that could affect the protection of trademarks and/or designs. The fourth edition brings the author's prodigious analysis of case law, dispute settlements, ongoing scholarship and other pertinent developments fully up to date. With the authority and in-depth experience of a former long-time WIPO official with unparalleled knowledge of WTO Members' practices in implementing TRIPS provisions, Nuno Pires de Carvalho brings his practical insight and vast scholarship to such complex questions as the following: • What are signs that can constitute trademarks? Which elements assist in identifying a well-known mark? • What are the limitations on the protection of non visually perceptible marks like sounds, scents and tastes? • What lessons can we learn so far from the Dispute Settlement Mechanism? • What are WTO Members' obligations as regards marks that relate to goods and services that offend religious and moral values? Are they obliged to register and protect them? • How strict is the TRIPS Agreement as regards the use of industrial property in relation to public policies? Are private rights limitless? Are they enforceable no matter what? The recent worldwide phenomenon of measures involving the use of trademarks to pursue public health goals through plain packaging schemes is thoroughly analyzed and evaluated. Lawyers, judges, scholars and government officials will find a wealth of information and legal analysis in this new edition of that will help them identify new approaches and solutions to problems of trademark and design law posed by the implementation of the TRIPS Agreement. With its combination of practically focused article-by-article commentary and scholarly analysis and insight, this edition will be an invaluable resource to all those who wish to understand industrial property at a deeper level.

This volume analyses relationships between patent rights and human rights, focusing on the right to food. Whether the TRIPS Agreement and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights actually conflict, is analyzed through different techniques of assessing treaty conflict.

Intellectual property rights, conventionally seen as quite distinct, are increasingly overlapping with one another. There are several reasons for this: the expansion of IPRs beyond their traditional borders, the creation of new IPRs especially at EU level, the exploitation of gaps in the law by shrewd lawyers, and the use of unfair competition as an alternative when IPRs are either not available at all or expired. The convergence of several IPRs on the same subject-matter poses problems. As they are normally envisaged as water-tight categories, there are very few rules which cater for the sort of regime clash that any overlap of IPRs necessarily entails. This book's aim is to find appropriate rules to regulate overlaps and thereby avoid regime conflicts and undue unstructured expansion of IPRs. The book studies the practical consequences of each overlap at the international, European and national levels (where the laws of France, the UK and Germany are reviewed). It then analyses the reasons for the prohibition or authorisation of overlaps. This analysis enables the determination of criteria and principles that can be used to (re)map the overlaps to achieve appropriateness and legitimacy.

Senegal Business Intelligence Report - Practical Information, Opportunities, Contacts

With the launch of the World Trade Organization (WTO) in 1995, its Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) emerged as a symbol of coercion in international economic relations. In the decade that followed, intellectual property became one of the most contentious topics of global policy debate. This book is the first full-length study of the politics surrounding what developing countries did to implement TRIPS and why. Based on a review of the evidence from 1995 to 2007, this book emphasises that developing countries exhibited considerable variation in their approach to TRIPS implementation. In particular, developing countries took varying degrees of advantage of the legal safeguards and options-commonly known as TRIPS 'flexibilities'-that the Agreement provides. To explain this variation, this book argues that TRIPS implementation must be understood as a complex political game played out among developing country governments and a range of stakeholders-developed countries, non-governmental organisations (NGOs), intergovernmental organisations (IGOs), and industry groups. The contested nature of the TRIPS bargain spurred competing efforts to revise the terms of TRIPS and to influence global IP regulation more broadly. The intensity of the implementation game was amplified by an awareness among the various stakeholders that the IP reforms developing countries pursued would influence these ongoing international negotiations. The book attributes the variation in TRIPS implementation to the interplay between these global IP debates, international power pressures, and political dynamics within developing countries. The book includes historical analysis, compilations of evidence, and analysis supported by examples from across the developing world. The Implementation Game will be of interest both to scholars of international relations, law, and international political economy as well as to policymakers, commentators, and activists engaged in debates on the global governance of intellectual property.

This book introduces law in the context of international business. The basics of law are explored using a clear comparative methodology. International and regional economic institutions are discussed, next to the fundaments of private law. These include contract law, liability law, labour law, company law, privacy law, intellectual property law and international private law. The book goes beyond the usual focus on Western legal systems and uses examples from all over the world to provide students with comprehensive knowledge of business law. It is set up rather broadly, so that it can be used by teachers throughout their entire curriculum. Each chapter ends with a clear summary, and practice questions. Due to its colourful cases, this book is accessible and fun to read.