Search

Der Vertrag über die internationale Zusammenarbeit auf dem Gebiet des Patentwesens macht es möglich, durch Einreichung eines „internationalen“ Patentantrags Patentschutz für eine Erfindung in jedem einer großen Zahl von Ländern gleichzeitig zu beantragen. Ein solcher Antrag kann von jedem, der Staatsbürger eines Vertragsstaates ist oder in einem Vertragsstaat ansässig ist, eingereicht werden.

O Tratado de Cooperação em matéria de Patentes permite que se procure a proteção por patente em muitos países simultaneamente, mediante o depósito de um pedido'internacional'de patente. Um tal pedido pode ser depositado por qualquer pessoa que seja nacional ou residente de um Estado Contratante

El Tratado de Cooperación en materia de Patentes permite obtener protección por patente para una invención en muchos países al mismo tiempo mediante la presentación de una solicitud internacional de patente. Pueden presentar dicha solicitud los nacionales o residentes de los Estados Contratantes del PCT.

'I recently read The Practitioner's Guide to the PCT, [Second Edition], and I must say, it is a must-read for anyone interested in the patent cooperation treaty (PCT).The book is well-written and easy to understand, even if you don't have a legal background. The authors have done an excellent job of breaking down the complex PCT process into simple steps, making it easy to follow and understand.The guide is comprehensive, covering everything from the basics of the PCT to more useful and advanced topics like Procedural Safeguards: helpful options when things go wrong amendments, PCT strategies and recommendations, Selecting Countries for National Filing and Patent Prosecution Highway to name a few. One of the things I appreciated about this book is that it doesn't just provide information on the PCT process, but it also offers practical tips and advice for practitioners. The authors share insights and strategies based on their years of experience, which is invaluable for anyone looking to navigate the PCT system.'-Goutam Bhattacharyya (Dr.), Partner, K&S Partners When it is used appropriately, the PCT is a cost-effective option for international patent protection and provides numerous benefits for applicants, patent offices, and third parties. With opaque rules and obscure terminology, using the PCT can cause confusion and is a difficult system to master. Based on the authors'many years of experience with the system and the important lessons they have learned from prior mistakes, The Practitioner's Guide to the PCT, Second Edition demystifies the system to help practitioners employ the PCT to their client's advantage. Starting with a clear explanation of the PCT's framework, the book's in-depth chapters equip applicants with the tools necessary to effectively use this global, treaty-based system. Topics covered include: PCT requirements and procedures International search and preliminary examination Post-filing procedures: publication, withdrawals, and recording changes Procedural safeguards Strategies and guidelines for entering the national phase Entry into the national phase in the U.S., Europe, China, and elsewhere Strategies and recommendations for a PCT applicationIn addition, The Practitioner's Guide to the PCT includes invaluable supplemental materials, including WIPO resources, glossaries of terms and abbreviations, and an informed discussion on the future of the PCT.

The Patent Cooperation Treaty makes it possible to seek patent protection for an invention simultaneously in each of a large number of countries by filing an'international'patent application. Such an application may be filed by anyone who is a national or a resident of a Contracting State.

Il Trattato di cooperazione in materia di brevetti consente di richiedere la protezione di un brevetto per un'invenzione simultaneamente in un gran numero di Paesi depositando una domanda'internazionale'di brevetto. Tale domanda può essere depositata da chiunque abbia la nazionalità di uno Stato contraente del PCT o il domicilio in tale Stato.

Le Traité de coopération en matière de brevets permet de demander la protection d'un brevet pour une invention simultanément dans un grand nombre de pays en déposant une demande “internationale” de brevet. Une telle demande peut être déposée par toute personne qui a la nationalité d'un État contractant du PCT ou est domiciliée dans un tel État.

En este documento se expone un plan estratégico trienal para la OMPI en el campo de las patentes esenciales para cumplir con las normas técnicas (PEN). La estrategia, basada en los principios rectores de la neutralidad, la complementariedad y el carácter voluntario, describe las actividades en curso de la OMPI y establece los cuatro pilares de la labor venidera de la Organización a fin de servir de plataforma de debate, fomentar la transparencia, funcionar como centro de conocimientos y datos y proporcionar servicios valiosos en el ámbito de las PEN.

Le présent document contient un plan stratégique triennal pour l'OMPI dans le domaine des brevets essentiels à des normes. La stratégie, qui repose sur les principes directeurs de neutralité, de complémentarité et de caractère volontaire, donne un aperçu des activités actuellement proposées par l'OMPI et définit les quatre piliers des activités à mener pour offrir un cadre mondial de discussion, renforcer la transparence, servir de pôle de connaissances et d'échange de données et fournir des services efficaces dans le domaine des brevets essentiels à des normes.

This document sets out a 3-year strategic plan for WIPO in the field of standard essential patents (SEPs). The Strategy, based on the guiding principles of neutrality, complementarity and voluntary nature, gives an account of WIPO's current activities and sets forth the four pillars of WIPO's upcoming work to serve as a global platform for discussion, enhance transparency, be a hub of knowledge and data, and provide meaningful services in the SEP area.

Patent rights on pharmaceutical products are one of the factors responsible for the lack of access to affordable medicines in developing countries. In this work, Emmanuel Kolawole Oke provides a systematic analysis of the tension between patent rights and human rights law, contending that, in order to preserve their patent policy space and secure access to affordable medicines for their citizens, developing countries should incorporate a model of human rights into the design, implementation, interpretation, and enforcement of their national patent laws. Through a comprehensive analysis of court decisions from three key developing countries (India, Kenya, and South Africa), Oke assesses the effectiveness of national courts in resolving conflicts between patent rights and the right to health, and demonstrates how a model of human rights can be incorporated into the adjudication of patent rights.

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic there have been remarkable research and innovation efforts to fight the SARS-COV-2 virus and the related disease. This patent landscape report provides early observations on the patenting activity which took place in the field of COVID-19 vaccines and therapeutics, and compares results with clinical trial data for related candidate vaccines and drugs

Il Trattato di cooperazione in materia di brevetti consente di richiedere la protezione di un brevetto per un'invenzione simultaneamente in un gran numero di Paesi depositando una domanda'internazionale'di brevetto. Tale domanda può essere depositata da chiunque abbia la nazionalità di uno Stato contraente del PCT o il domicilio in tale Stato

O Tratado de Cooperação em matéria de Patentes permite que se procure a proteção por patente em muitos países simultaneamente, mediante o depósito de um pedido'internacional'de patente. Um tal pedido pode ser depositado por qualquer pessoa que seja nacional ou residente de um Estado Contratante

Der Vertrag über die internationale Zusammenarbeit auf dem Gebiet des Patentwesens macht es möglich, durch Einreichung eines „internationalen“ Patentantrags Patentschutz für eine Erfindung in jedem einer großen Zahl von Ländern gleichzeitig zu beantragen. Ein solcher Antrag kann von jedem, der Staatsbürger eines Vertragsstaates ist oder in einem Vertragsstaat ansässig ist, eingereicht werden

El Tratado de Cooperación en materia de Patentes permite obtener protección por patente para una invención en muchos países al mismo tiempo mediante la presentación de una solicitud internacional de patente. Pueden presentar dicha solicitud los nacionales o residentes de los Estados Contratantes del PCT

Le Traité de coopération en matière de brevets permet de demander la protection d'un brevet pour une invention simultanément dans un grand nombre de pays en déposant une demande “internationale” de brevet. Une telle demande peut être déposée par toute personne qui a la nationalité d'un État contractant du PCT ou est domiciliée dans un tel État.

The Patent Cooperation Treaty makes it possible to seek patent protection for an invention simultaneously in each of a large number of countries by filing an'international'patent application. Such an application may be filed by anyone who is a national or a resident of a Contracting State.

The history of patent harmonization is a story of dynamic actors, whose interactions with established structures shaped the patent regime. From the inception of the trade regime to include intellectual property (IP) rights to the present, this book documents the role of different sets of actors – states, transnational business corporations, or civil society groups – and their influence on the structures – such as national and international agreements, organizations, and private entities – that have caused changes to healthcare and access to medication. Presenting the debates over patents, trade, and the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement), as it galvanized non-state and nonbusiness actors, the book highlights how an alternative framing and understanding of pharmaceutical patent rights emerged: as a public issue, instead of a trade or IP issue. The book thus offers an important analysis of the legal and political dynamics through which the contest for access to lifesaving medication has been, and will continue to be, fought.In addition to academics working in the areas of international law, development, and public health, this book will also be of interest to policy makers, state actors, and others with relevant concerns working in nongovernmental and international organizations.

En este informe anual se pasa revista a las actividades de 2020 y se mira decididamente al futuro y se contempla una nueva orientación estratégica para la OMPI.

Although ideally a patent system for pharmaceuticals should serve to incentivize research into the development of new medicines, the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the equal importance of drug access and affordability. This book, by focusing on the Brazilian rule which makes the grant of pharmaceutical patents dependent on the prior consent of the National Health Surveillance Agency (ANVISA), shows how the Brazilian model affords an example for other countries to follow in dealing with tensions between patent protection and the right to healthcare. Based on an empirical study in which the author examined 147 reports issued by ANVISA as a basis for its decisions, the book deals with such central questions concerning the interface of regulation and innovation in the patent system as the following: compatibility between ANVISA's prior consent mechanism and the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement; how “evergreening” and “trivial patents” undermine public health and access to medicines; ways of correcting abuses of patent rights and controlling quality of patents; and the discourse on health as a human right. Along with her examination of ANVISA reports, the author analyzes how Article 229-C LPI, which introduced the need of ANVISA's prior consent to the patent grant of pharmaceuticals in Brazil, has been interpreted in Brazilian case law. Interviews with Brazilian experts are also included. In its commitment to harmonizing patent rights and the right to access of affordable medicines, Brazil's patent system for pharmaceuticals stands out as a workable response to the basic problem of access to medicines in the developing world. By describing the successes and failures in the Brazilian policy of promoting drug access, this book helps policymakers in developing and emerging countries to better explore TRIPS flexibilities when dealing with similar problems, and provides practitioners in the law of the World Trade Organization, patent law, competition law, and health law with a guide to how a more equitable pharmaceutical patenting system could work in practice.

Overview of the Appeal Proceedings According to the EPC Third Edition Hugo Meinders, Philipp Lanz & Gérard Weiss About this book: Overview of the Appeal Proceedings According to the EPC helps in understanding the nature of the appeal proceedings before the Boards of Appeal. The previous editions of this book made an effort to explain in brief introductory terms how appeal proceedings work and how the Boards of Appeal function. This edition deals with the New Rules of Procedure adopted by the BoAC2 and approved by the Administrative Council which entered into force on 1 January 2020. About one in a hundred European patent cases end up before a Board of Appeal. The appeal reviews the decision of a first instance department of the European Patent Office. The appeal proceedings are substantially different from the first instance proceedings; they are a judicial review and not necessarily a continuation of the administrative first instance proceedings. This first aspect is even more pronounced since 1 January 2020, with the changes in the Rules of Procedure of the Boards of Appeal. What's in this book: This book provides an easily readable overview of the appeal proceedings in the three official languages of the European Patent Office (EPO): English, German and French, including the (New) Rules of Procedure of the Boards of Appeal and the Enlarged Board of Appeal. It covers amongst others the following: (new) requirements on filing an appeal; the possible actions of the Board; the stricter treatment of late filings of the parties; and the conduct of oral proceedings and the issue of the decision. This book gives an up-to-date account of the most important issues of the appeal proceedings at the Boards of Appeal of the EPO. How this will help you: This book is intended as a reference book for applicants in ex-parte (examination appeal) proceedings, or patent proprietors or opponents in inter-partes (opposition appeal) proceedings, as appellants or respondents, or party as of right. It facilitates in finding an answer to issues that a party may encounter. Editors: Hugo Meinders, Philipp Lanz & Gérard Weiss

A major target of Goal 3 of the Sustainable Development Goals adopted by the United Nations in 2015 is the elimination of ‘the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and neglected tropical diseases'and combating ‘hepatitis, water-borne diseases and other communicable diseases'. Intellectual property (IP) has been identified as one of the factors impeding access to affordable medicines in developing countries, especially in relation to the HIV pandemic.This book examines the scope of the existing flexibilities in international IP law for promoting access to medicines. It analyses the factors accounting for the underutilisation of the flexibilities in Africa and the measures that African countries may adopt to address the IP barriers to access to medicines. It explores the regional strategies that Africa can adopt to resolve the tension between IP regimes and access to medicines. It also highlights how trade liberalisation and regional integration can play crucial roles in enhancing the use of TRIPS flexibilities, local pharmaceutical manufacturing and access to medicines in Africa.By adopting qualitative research methods to investigate how African countries may effectively use IP to serve public health purposes through the stratagem of regional integration, this book will be a valuable contribution to the existing literature on IP.

This book is a very useful reference guide on how de jure and de facto standards are being developed and how these standards compete against each other. The book also looks at how FRAND commitments are being determined across countries, how these disputes have played out, especially in Asia, and how they can be better dealt with in future globally. The book gives a broad overview of the business model of dominant SEP patentees and analyzes some standards for FRAND licensing of SEPs which are converging in major Asian jurisdictions. It highlights the need for ex ante regulation in the FRAND licensing of SEPs and suggests how we can reconcile conflicts which may arise from different legal standards.This book provides detailed and comprehensive analysis of recent SEP cases with an emphasis on Asia and will interest anyone who wishes to have more insight into the legal, policy, industrial and economic implications of such issues.

India and the Patent Wars contributes to an international debate over the costs of medicine and restrictions on access under stringent patent laws showing how activists and drug companies in low-income countries seize agency and exert influence over these processes. Murphy Halliburton contributes to analyses of globalization within the fields of anthropology, sociology, law, and public health by drawing on interviews and ethnographic work with pharmaceutical producers in India and the United States.India has been at the center of emerging controversies around patent rights related to pharmaceutical production and local medical knowledge. Halliburton shows that Big Pharma is not all-powerful, and that local activists and practitioners of ayurveda, India's largest indigenous medical system, have been able to undermine the aspirations of multinational companies and the WTO. Halliburton traces how key drug prices have gone down, not up, in low-income countries under the new patent regime through partnerships between US- and India-based companies, but warns us to be aware of access to essential medicines in low- and middle-income countries going forward.

With reference to China, this book examines the course of international patent rights harmonisation; its characteristics as well as impediments. It evaluates the case of China's patent law development over the course of the last three decades by drawing on the most up-to-date Chinese language sources. In the process, the volume focuses on China's patent legislation, its achievements and weaknesses, as well as the intrinsic limitations, especially as far as enforcement is concerned. The author pays close attention to the unique societal background in China, a country that did not provide constitutional recognition to private property rights until 2004 and where a property law entered into force as late as 2013, 30 years after the first promulgation of the patent law.Global trade policy makers, IP professionals and businesses will benefit from the insights presented by the chapters as they will help them to appreciate the achievements and the controversies pursuant to China's efforts in patent protection. While serving as a useful case study for countries seeking to leverage patent protection as a driver for economic development, the book will equally facilitate Chinese legislature to reflect on its patent legislation development, specifically on legislative policy choices.An additional analytical strength of the volume is that it compares the Chinese patent legislation with the American Invents Act and the European Patent Convention. It discovers the differences between the three patent legislations by using the minimum patent protection standards set down by the TRIPS Agreement as the benchmark. The results of the comparisons suggest that China has successfully harmonised its patent legislation with the global patent protection system, and often opts for higher patent protection standards. The book also considers whether China could learn lessons from Japan and India in their respective patent legislation and policy choices.With China undertaking a fourth patent law amendment, the provisions contained in the second draft of the Patent Law 2015, which was published in December 2015, are included in the analysis.

This preeminent work has proven the best practical commentary on the TRIPS agreement related to patents and test data. This fifth edition, in which the author has revised the whole text and updated various arguments, continues to articulate with unmatched clarity the specific steps that a government or a company must take, in a wide variety of possible contexts, to ensure that its patent-related obligations under TRIPS are met. The presentation is arranged in an article-by-article format, following the TRIPS Agreement itself as it relates to patents and test data. In this way, the author's incisive analysis covers every issue likely to arise in today's patent and test data administrative and legal practice, including the following: ·significance of the recent entry into force of Article 31bis; · developments in enforcement of patent rights in the context of competition law; · the potential effects of Brexit and the new protectionist inclination of US trade policy; · expanded commentary on trade secrets and test data under Article 39; · alternate ways to transpose TRIPS obligations into national law; and · standards of intellectual property protection as a bargaining chip in international trade. The TRIPS Agreement has a direct impact on the daily activities of corporations, governments, and consumers. This book contains a very practical explanation of the meaning of the patent-related TRIPS provisions, how they should be reflected in national law, and how courts are expected to enforce them. For these reasons and more, the Fifth Edition is a crucially important resource for patent and public health lawyers seeking compliance as well as for government officials charged with the implementation of TRIPS obligations.

Experienced practitioners will find that the detailed case law citation adds depth to their knowledge. The practical advice and the illustrations from case law provide patent lawyers and patent attorneys with invaluable guidance on specific procedural and substantive questions, as well as on how to act properly in opposition and appeal proceedings. Proceedings Before the European Patent Office: A Practical Guide to Success in Opposition and Appeal is an indispensable tool in the armoury of all patent practitioners.

The new millennium has been described as'the century of biology', but scientific progress and access to medicines has been marred by global disputes over ownership of the science by universities and private companies. This book examines the challenges posed by the modern patent system to the right of everyone to access the benefits of science in international law.Aurora Plomer retraces the genesis and evolution of the key Articles in the UN system (Article 27 UDHR and Article 15 ICESCR). She combines the historiography of these Articles with a novel perspective on the moral foundations of rights of access to science to draw out implications for today's controversies on patents in the life-sciences. The analysis suggests that access to science as a fundamental right requires both freedom from political and religious interference and the existence of enabling research institutions and educational facilities which promote the flow of knowledge through transparent and open structures. From this perspective, the global patent system is shown to fail spectacularly when it comes to the human rights ideal of universal access to science. The book concludes that a fundamental restructuring of patent institutions is required, in which democratic oversight of patent policies would ensure meaningful realization of the right of everyone to access the benefits of science.Students and scholars of international law, particularly those focusing on intellectual property and human rights, will find this book to be of considerable interest. It will also be of use to practitioners in the field.

This work investigates the challenges of enforcement of patent rights in geographically divisible inventions. It considers aspects of technological progress which pose challenges to the established system of patent protection based on the territorial limitation of rights. The analysis focuses on substantive patent law, especially on the infringement provisions. It is carried out in the context of Internet-related inventions, which demonstrate an extraordinarily construed technical nature, namely geographical divisibility. This leads to the inquiry of whether the infringement standard is appropriate in relation to the technological development in ICTs.

Patent Law in Global Perspective addresses critical and timely questions in patent law from a truly global perspective, with contributions from leading patent law scholars from various countries. Offering fresh insights and new approaches to evaluating key institutional, economic, doctrinal, and practical issues, these chapters reflect critical analyses and review developments in national patent laws, efforts to reform the global patent system, and reconfigure geopolitical interests. Professors Ruth L. Okediji and Margo A. Bagley bring together the first collection to explore patent law issues through the lens of economic development theory, international relations, theoretical foundations for the patent law system in the global context, and more. Topics include: the role of patent law in economic development; the efficacy of patent rights in facilitating innovation; patents and access to medicines; comparative patentability standards (including subject matter eligibility for biotechnology and software inventions); limitations and exceptions to patent scope and protection (including exhaustion, compulsory licensing, and research exceptions); patents on plants and other living organisms; and the impact of emerging economies on global patent system governance. The contributors provide a wealth of original insight and thought-provoking discussion that will be of great interest and benefit to scholars, policymakers, and practitioners alike.

Patent-Trolle verwenden die patentierte Erfindungsidee weder für eigene Produktionstätigkeiten noch sind sie erfinderisch tätig. Sie setzen die patentrechtlichen Ansprüche zwecks Aufbaus einer Drohkulisse strategisch ein. Ziel ist das Erreichen einer Situation, in welcher der Betroffene den Abschluss einer überhöhten Lizenzvereinbarung als die vorteilhafteste Lösung ansieht. Die Untersuchung widmet sich der Frage, ob das Patent-Trolling eine rechtsmissbräuchliche Verwendung des Patentrechtes darstellt. Hierzu werden anhand der patentrechtlichen Rechtfertigungstheorien und einer ökonomischen Betrachtung die Zielsetzungen des Patentrechtes herausgearbeitet, um die Auswirkungen des «Patent-Trollings» auf diese zu analysieren und Kriterien für einen Missbrauchstest zu entwickeln.

This thesis discusses the flexibilities built into the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights that are relevant for ensuring access to and availability of new medicines for the treatment of life-threatening diseases. Using Kenyan and Indian patent laws as case studies, the thesis examines the experience these countries have had in making use of the flexibilities. The thesis concludes that besides the TRIPS flexibilities, the resolution of the problem of access to medicines requires a concrete and a potent mix of country specific non-IP strategies. To test the hypotheses advanced in it, the thesis applies descriptive, qualitative and quantitative methodologies as well as interpretive analysis of court cases.

Hein and Moon take up a serious problem of contemporary global governance: what can be done when international trade rules prevent the realization of basic human rights? Starting in the 1990s, intellectual property obligations in trade agreements required many developing countries to begin granting medicines patents, which often rendered lifesaving drugs unaffordable. At stake was the question of what priority would be given to health-particularly of some of the world's poorest people-and what priority to economic interests, particularly those of the most powerful states and firms. This book recounts the remarkable story of the access to medicines movement. The authors offer an explanation for how the informal, but powerful norm that every person should have access to essential medicines emerged after a decade of heated political contestation and against long odds. They also explore the stability and scope of the norm. Finally, the book examines the limitations of informal norms for protecting human rights, and when renewed focus on changing formal norms is warranted.

Daniel Düsentrieb hat es leicht: Sein Genie gibt ihm die Erfindungen ein, über Finanzierung und Patentrecht muss er sich keine Gedanken machen. Das ist schön, die Wirklichkeit ist leider etwas komplizierter: Alexander Rapp zeigt Ihnen, wie Sie als Erfinder systematisch arbeiten, wie Sie Ideen bewerten, diese dann umsetzen und schließlich Ihr Werk auf Herz und Nieren prüfen. Er erklärt Ihnen außerdem, was der Unterschied zwischen Patent und Gebrauchsmuster ist und wie Sie Ihre Erfindung am besten schützen. Schließlich gibt er Ihnen noch Anregungen, wie Sie mit Investitionen und Lizenzen Ihres Geistes Kind zu Geld machen können.

Some two decades will shortly have passed since the WTO's Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights agreement came into force in 1995. This volume is the first cross-country analysis of how TRIPS has affected the capacity of 11 major low or medium income countries to produce generic drugs.

When is international patent law cooperation and harmonization welfare-enhancing? What is the role of international institutions - WIPO and the WTO - in furthering such harmonization? This book explores these questions from a global welfarist, rationalist perspective. It grounds its analysis in innovation theory and a examination of patent law and prosecution, incorporating the uncertainty of patent law's impact on welfare at a detailed level, dynamic changes, the skewed nature of patent value and the difficulty of textually capturing patent concepts. Using tools from new institutional economics, it explores future design implications for international institutions, analyzing grounds for international cooperation as collective action problems and applying historical, political and transaction cost analyses. Academics, students and practitioners interested in international economic law, specifically in respect of patents, innovation and intellectual property, the TRIPs Agreement, the WTO and WIPO will find this book essential. It will also prove insightful for researchers whose primary background is in international relations or international political economy, but are seeking an introduction to the patent and intellectual property field. Contents: Introduction Part I: Welfare-Enhancing Harmonization 1. Domestic Patent Law, Autarchic Analysis 2. The Value of Diversity: Relaxed Autarchy 3. Bases for Harmonization Part II: International Patent Law Institutions 4. History 5. International Patent Cooperation as Collective Action 6. Institutional Analysis: WIPO and the WTO Conclusions and Implications References

Biotechnology is at the heart of heated debates about ethics, safety, economic development, and about the control over the biological materials and technologies used. The latter, grossly called biodiversity issues relating to the application of intellectual property, has been the subject of a wealth of literature. Yet, the situation of animal genetic resources specifically has only marginally been addressed so far. Many books and articles address 舖biotechnology and agriculture舗, but have only plants and seeds in mind. Case-law and specific regulation is equally scarce. Exacerbated by the so-called 舖erosion of animal genetic resources舗, climate change, the globalization of the market-place, and a strong concentration of markets, animal genetic resources however demand specific analysis and adjustments in intellectual property law.

This portrait of the global debate over patent law and access to essential medicines focuses on public health concerns about HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, the SARS virus, influenza, and diseases of poverty. The essays explore the diplomatic negotiations and disputes in key international fora, such as the World Trade Organization, the World Health Organization and the World Intellectual Property Organization. Drawing upon international trade law, innovation policy, intellectual property law, health law, human rights and philosophy, the authors seek to canvass policy solutions which encourage and reward worthwhile pharmaceutical innovation while ensuring affordable access to advanced medicines. A number of creative policy options are critically assessed, including the development of a Health Impact Fund, prizes for medical innovation, the use of patent pools, open-source drug development and forms of'creative capitalism'.

In the last two decades, accelerating technological progress, increasing economic globalization and the proliferation of international agreements have created new challenges for intellectual property law. In this collection of articles in honor of Professor Joseph Straus, more than 60 scholars and practitioners from the Americas, Asia and Europe provide legal, economic and policy perspectives on these challenges, with a particular focus on the challenges facing the modern patent system. Among the many topics addressed are the rapid development of specific technical fields such as biotechnology, the relationship of exclusive rights and competition, and the application of territorially limited IP laws in cross-border scenarios.