Intellectual property

This chapter explains the provisions of Section 3 of Part II of the TRIPS Agreement entitled ‘Geographical Indications’. A geographical indication (GI) is defined in the TRIPS Agreement as an indication which identifies a good as originating in the territory of a member, or a regional locality in that territory, where a given quality, reputation or other characteristic of the good is essentially attributable to its geographical origin. Typical examples would be ‘Cogna Read More

I would like to thank you very much for inviting me to this Symposium. It is really great to be back in Geneva. I have, indeed, very fond memories of my long stay here and coming back gives me the great pleasure to meet dear, old friends.

D’après une étude publiée par le Parlement européen en 2017, la chaîne de blocs pourrait « changer nos vies » (Boucher, 2017). Ce que montrent les différentes applications de la chaîne de blocs qui sont mises au point dans des domaines aussi divers que le financement du commerce, la facilitation des échanges, le commerce des services, la propriété intellectuelle et les marchés publics, c’est que la chaîne de blocs peut avoir un impact considéra Read More

The negotiations on IP during the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations of the GATT (1986–94) were able to build upon a large body of existing law, both international and domestic. The main disciplines and notions of IP protection were already well established at the inception of the negotiations in 1986, with the adoption of the Ministerial Declaration in Punta del Este and its compromise that meant that negotiations would be conducted only Read More

This chapter deals with the provisions of the TRIPS Agreement that set out standards for protection of industrial designs (Articles 25 and 26 in Section 4 of Part II of the Agreement) and protection of layout-designs or topographies of integrated circuits (Articles 35 to 38 in Section 6 of Part II). As for all sections of Part II, these sections have to be read together with the relevant provisions of pre-existing treaties in the area of international IP law, which are in Read More

My sincere thanks go to my colleague Ms Kenza Le Mentec for her precious guidance. Kenza introduced me to the subject and provided invaluable inputs, in particular for the technical sections describing the technology and the section on trade facilitation. This publication would not have been possible without her support.

Learning is a continuing process in one’s life. Some lessons are well archived on our “personal hard disk”, with learning by doing being the most efficient method of saving those lessons. Negotiating the TRIPS Agreement was “unforgettable”, to cite a famous American TV series. Indeed, it is one of the most well-archived and prominent learning experiences of my career. Having been born and grown up in a developing country, namely, Viet Nam (sout Read More

This publication is the product of extensive collaboration between the WHO, WIPO and WTO Secretariats, led by the Department of Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property in the WHO, the Global Challenges Division in WIPO and the Intellectual Property, Government Procurement and Competition Division in the WTO.

En 2017 el Parlamento Europeo publicó una investigación en la que se afirmaba que las cadenas de bloques podían "cambiarnos la vida" (Boucher, 2017). Lo que demuestran las varias aplicaciones de la cadena de bloques que se están desarrollando en esferas tan diversas como la financiación del comercio, la facilitación del comercio, el comercio de servicios, la propiedad intelectual y la contratación pública es que esta tecnología puede tener repercusi Read More

This section provides an overview of elements and legal and policy instruments relating to the IP and international trade system which are relevant to medical innovation and access to medical technologies at the international level.

Quiero expresar mi más sincero agradecimiento a mi colega, la Sra. Kenza Le Mentec, por sus valiosas orientaciones. Kenza me dio a conocer el tema e hizo importantes aportaciones, en particular para las secciones técnicas en que se describe la tecnología y para la dedicada a la facilitación del comercio. Esta publicación no hubiera sido posible sin su apoyo.

El mundo está en continuo proceso de cambio, impulsado por innovaciones tecnológicas que afectan la forma en que vivimos y hacemos negocios. La historia de la economía mundial está íntimamente ligada al progreso tecnológico. La máquina de vapor facilitó la mecanización de la producción, el descubrimiento de electricidad permitió la producción en masa y la aparición de Internet permitió coordinar a distancia las diversas fases de prod Read More

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, trade, intellectual property (IP) policy, and the framework for and management of innovation and access, including issues related to technology transfer.

El régimen mundial de propiedad intelectual ofrece un marco de incentivos que permite fomentar la innovación urgente necesaria para luchar contra la COVID-19. Abarca desde las fases de invención hasta el suministro de un producto o servicio. Las repercusiones de las patentes en el acceso a los medicamentos es un asunto complejo que despierta especial interés. También se analizan otros derechos de propiedad intelectual, como los secr Read More

La segunda edición de la publicación conjunta de la OMS, la OMPI y la OMC titulada Promover el acceso a las tecnologías y la innovación en medicina: Intersecciones entre la salud pública, la propiedad intelectual y el comercio (el estudio trilateral), publicada en 2020, incluía un suplemento especial en que se presentaban los desafíos planteados por la pandemia de COVID-19 en relación con los marcos de política integrados de salud, comercio y propi Read More

The second edition of the joint WHO, WIPO and WTO publication “Promoting Access to Medical Technologies and Innovation: Intersections between public health, intellectual property and trade” (the Trilateral Study), published in 2020, included a special insert mapping the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in relation to the integrated health, trade and IP policy framework set out in the study. The Trilateral Study and the special insert were d Read More

Depuis le début de la pandémie de COVID-19, une multitude d’acteurs publics et privés se sont efforcés de collaborer à l’échelle mondiale pour mettre au point des traitements, des vaccins et des diagnostics en vue de garantir un accès équitable à ces technologies. De nombreux efforts de ce type visent à répondre simultanément aux besoins en matière de R&D et d’accès. Les efforts de collaboration comprennent des investissements substantiels da Read More

While low- and middle-income countries face particular challenges caused by the global scarcity of key health technologies, the vast majority of countries are net importers of all categories of health technologies, including those needed to address COVID-19.