Intellectual property

The WIPO-WTO Colloquium Papers is a peer-reviewed academic journal, published jointly by the World Intellectual Property Organization and the World Trade Organization each year since 2010. Providing a uniquely representative and diverse showcase for emerging IP scholarship from across the globe, the journal aims to stimulate analysis and debate on intellectual property (IP) issues particularly of interest to developing countries. And it offers an avenue fo Read More

This handbook describes the historical and legal background to the TRIPS Agreement, its role in the WTO and its institutional framework and reviews the following areas: general provisions and basic principles; copyright and related rights; trademarks; geographical indications; patents; industrial designs, layout-designs, undisclosed information and anti-competitive practices; enforcement of IPRs; dispute settlement in the context of the TRIPS Agreement; Read More

Promoting Access to Medical Technologies and Innovation examines the interplay between public health, trade and intellectual property, and how these policy domains affect medical innovation and access to medical technologies. Co-published by the World Health Organization, the World Intellectual Property Organization and the WTO, the study draws together the three Secretariats’ respective areas of expertise.

Trade has always been shaped by technological innovation. In recent times, a new technology, Blockchain, has been greeted by many as the next big game-changer. Can Blockchain revolutionize international trade? This publication seeks to demystify the Blockchain phenomenon by providing a basic explanation of the technology. It analyses the relevance of this technology for international trade by reviewing how it is currently used or can be used in the va Read More

The establishment of the WTO’s TRIPS (trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights) Agreement in 1995 changed the face of international intellectual property (IP) law and policy-making. TRIPS negotiators recognized that shortcomings and inconsistencies in IP protection can distort trade and impede its benefits. The TRIPS Agreement helps ease trade tensions about IP issues while leaving WTO members ample space to pursue diverse domestic po Read More

The fast-evolving relationship between the promotion of welfare-enhancing competition and the balanced protection of intellectual property (IP) rights has attracted the attention of policymakers, analysts and scholars. This interest is inevitable in an environment that lays ever greater emphasis on the management of knowledge and innovation and on mechanisms to ensure that the public derives the expected social and economic benefits from Read More

Extrait mis à jour : une approche intégrée englobant santé, commerce et propriété intellectuelle pour répondre à la pandémie de COVID-19, 30 août 2021. La pandémie de COVID-19 constitue une crise de santé publique mondiale extraordinaire. Elle a rendu nécessaire l’intensification de la coopération au niveau planétaire. Dès le début, elle a soulevé des questions à l’intersection entre la politique de santé publique, la politique commerciale ainsi que le cad Read More

Updated extract: integrated health, trade and IP approach to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, 30 August 2021. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic constitutes an extraordinary global public health crisis. It has created a pressing need for intensified global cooperation. The pandemic has from its outset raised issues at the crossroads of public health policy, trade policy and the framework for and management of innovation, including those r Read More

La pandémie de maladie à coronavirus 2019 (COVID 19) constitue une crise de santé publique mondiale extraordinaire. Elle a rendu nécessaire l'intensification de la coopération au niveau planétaire. Dès le début, elle a soulevé des questions à l'intersection entre la politique de santé publique, la politique commerciale ainsi que le cadre et la gestion de l'innovation, y compris pour ce qui est des droits de propriété intellectuelle. La deuxième Read More

Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming the way we live, work, produce and trade. As it further develops, AI is expected to unlock unprecedented economic and societal opportunities. However, it is also a source of significant risks and challenges. This report examines the intersection of AI and international trade. It discusses how AI may shape the future of international trade by reducing trade costs, improving productivity and expanding economies' compar Read More