Intellectual property
Why we managed to succeed in TRIPS
There have been many books and articles written about the TRIPS Agreement. Most go into great detail over the costs and benefits of the various provisions of the Agreement. As one of the negotiators of the Agreement I will not attempt to debate such an analysis. Rather this chapter will provide brief personal reflections of my experiences during the negotiations which have had a significant impact on the rest of my career as a Canadian diplomat focusing on trade issues.
The global burden of disease and global health risks
The development of effective strategies to improve global health and react to changes in the global burden of disease (GBD) requires an understanding of the GBD and of GBD-related trends coupled with an understanding of major health risks. These are introduced in this section.
A world of opportunities and challenges
Research published by the European Parliament in 2017 claimed that Blockchain could “change our lives” (Boucher 2017). What the various blockchain applications that are being developed in areas as diverse as trade finance trade facilitation trade in services intellectual property and government procurement show is that Blockchain has the potential to impact both the traders and the government agencies involved in international trade significantly. Opportunities are multifaceted but will only be realized if several key challenges are addressed.
Remerciements
Mes sincères remerciements vont à ma collègue Kenza Le Mentec pour ses précieux conseils. Mme Le Mentec m’a initiée au sujet et elle a apporté de précieuses contributions en particulier pour les sections techniques décrivant la technologie et pour la section sur la facilitation des échanges. Cette publication n’aurait pas été possible sans son soutien.
Conclusion
Research published by the European Parliament in 2017 claimed that Blockchain could “change our lives” (Boucher 2017). What the various blockchain applications that are being developed in areas as diverse as trade finance trade facilitation trade in services intellectual property and government procurement show is that Blockchain has the potential to impact both the traders and the government agencies involved in international trade significantly. Opportunities are multifaceted but will only be realized if several key challenges are addressed.
The policy context for action on innovation and access
This chapter outlines the policy framework for public health intellectual property (IP) international trade and competition focusing on how they intersect with particular emphasis on medical technologies. The framework comprises the human rights dimension of access to medicines; the policy economic and legal features of IP and innovation systems; regulation of medical products; competition policy; and relevant trade policy measures including import tariffs non-tariff measures rules on trade in services government procurement and regional and bilateral free trade agreements (FTAs). In addition it discusses the economics of innovation and access to medical technologies and outlines the interface between genetic resources traditional knowledge and traditional medicine IP and trade.
Medical technologies: the fundamentals
Against the background of the global burden of disease (GBD) and global health risks this chapter outlines the fundamental imperative for collaboration. It demonstrates the need for a coordinated approach taking into account health intellectual property (IP) and trade variables to ensure coherent decision-making in the area of public health at the international regional and domestic levels.
Preface
At the heart of the World Trade Organization (WTO) as an international organization is a set of rules that regulate trade between nations: a body of agreements which have been negotiated and signed by governments of the majority of the world's trading nations with the aim of promoting transparency predictability and non-discrimination in trading relations. These agreements covering trade in goods trade in services and trade-related aspects of intellectual property rights help to define and inform the multiple roles of the WTO in administering the trade agreements providing a forum for trade negotiations handling trade disputes monitoring national trade policies providing technical assistance and capacity building for developing countries and cooperating with other international organizations. Understanding these agreements and their practical policy and legal contexts therefore provides significant insights into the WTO as an institution its activities and international role its partnerships with other organizations and the way in which WTO Member governments identify and pursue their national interests through this intergovernmental forum.
Public health and medical technologies: The imperative for international cooperation
Health is a fundamental and universal human right. The attainment by all peoples of the highest possible level of health is the foundational objective of the WHO.
Appendix 2: Guide to TRIPS notifications
TRIPS includes a set of transparency mechanisms which require Members to furnish extensive information about their IP laws and policies and details about how IPRs are administered and enforced in their territories; these laws are also reviewed in detail in the TRIPS Council. The operation of these transparency mechanisms in the years since 1995 has yielded a uniquely comprehensive and systematic body of information that now covers some 130 jurisdictions (essentially all WTO Members other than LDCs for whom these provisions do not yet apply).
La chaîne de blocs peut-elle révolutionner le commerce international ?
Les gros titres annonçant que la chaîne de blocs peut révolutionner différents domaines du commerce international du financement du commerce aux procédures douanières en passant par la propriété intellectuelle sont légion. Le caractère transparent décentralisé et immuable de la chaîne de blocs a éveillé l’intérêt des acteurs privés – et des gouvernements – qui veulent explorer le potentiel de cette technologie afin d’améliorer l’efficacité des processus commerciaux et une multitude de preuves de concept et de projets pilotes utilisant la chaîne de blocs ont été menés dans quasiment tous les domaines du commerce international.
Conclusión
El mundo tal como lo conocemos ha sido definido por las innovaciones tecnológicas. Muchas personas han acogido la aparición de una nueva tecnología la cadena de bloques (una tecnología de registro distribuido) a la que consideran el próximo gran factor de cambio con entusiasmo y optimismo. La cadena de bloques que permite compartir registros digitales y datos de manera segura transparente e inalterable sin necesidad de depender de un único tercero de confianza promete avances interesantes. Esta tecnología podría permitir a los particulares y a las empresas de todo el mundo efectuar transacciones de manera más eficiente más barata y más rápida preservando al mismo tiempo un elevado nivel de seguridad. Al simplificar y digitalizar procesos en los que participan múltiples partes interesadas y que hasta ahora dependían en gran medida del papel reduciendo así los costes de procesamiento verificación seguimiento coordinación y transporte podría tener repercusiones importantes en la forma en que se realizan las operaciones comerciales ya se trate de transacciones comerciales transfronterizas financieras o físicas. Podría reducir el fraude mejorar la gestión de los derechos de propiedad intelectual mejorar la rastreabilidad y la confianza en las cadenas de valor y brindar nuevas oportunidades a las pequeñas empresas.
Current TRIPS issues
This chapter provides a general overview of the ongoing work in the TRIPS Council and other WTO bodies on other aspects of TRIPS and public policy as of the time of writing focusing on the issues which have been the most prominent
Dispute settlement in TRIPS: A two-edged sword
In the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations under the GATT the negotiations on the TRIPS Agreement were not alone in making a slow start. IPRs were a radically new subject matter for the GATT. There was both uncertainty as to just what could be considered trade-related aspects of IPRs and disagreement over the appropriateness of trying to incorporate them into a negotiation about goods. The constructive ambiguity of the mandate – necessary to achieve consensus at Punta del Este – led to strong disagreement over what did or did not fall within it. This disagreement continued throughout most of the negotiations and was only attenuated towards the end.