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Plain Packaging And The Trips Agreement: A Response To Professors Davison, Mitchell And Voon, Daniel J. Gervais
Plain Packaging And The Trips Agreement: A Response To Professors Davison, Mitchell And Voon, Daniel J. Gervais
Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications
The issue of plain packaging is at the very core of the intersection between trade law, intellectual property and public health. Unlike the issue of export of generic pharmaceuticals, which was addressed in the World Trade Organization by the adoption of a specific Declaration and notification system, it seems that plain packaging will be addressed by the WTO Dispute-Settlement Body. A report prepared by the author in 2010 discussing the intellectual property aspects of plain packaging was critiqued by Professors Davison, Mitchell and Voon in several publications and submissions, including a recent book. In this article, the author responds to …
Plain Packaging And The Interpretation Of The Trips Agreement, Daniel J. Gervais, Susy Frankel
Plain Packaging And The Interpretation Of The Trips Agreement, Daniel J. Gervais, Susy Frankel
Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications
Plain packaging of cigarettes as a way of reducing tobacco consumption and its related health costs and effects raises a number of international trade law issues. The plain packaging measures adopted in Australia impose strict format requirements on word trademarks (such as Marlboro or Camel) and ban the use of figurative marks (colors, logos, etc.). As a result, questions have been raised as to plain packaging’s compatibility with the World Trade Organization’s (WTO) Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS Agreement).
WTO members can validly take measures to protect and promote public health, but in doing so they …
The Google Book Settlement And The Trips Agreement, Daniel J. Gervais
The Google Book Settlement And The Trips Agreement, Daniel J. Gervais
Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications
The proposed amended settlement in the Google Book case has been the focus of numerous comments and critiques. This "perspective" reviews the compatibility of the proposed settlement with the TRIPS Agreement and relevant provisions of the Berne Convention that were incorporated into TRIPS, in particular the no-formality rule, the most-favored nation (MFN) clause, national treatment obligations, and the so-called three-step test.
Reinventing Lisbon: The Case For A Protocol To The Lisbon Agreement (Geographical Indications), Daniel J. Gervais
Reinventing Lisbon: The Case For A Protocol To The Lisbon Agreement (Geographical Indications), Daniel J. Gervais
Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications
The Doha Development Agenda (Doha Round) of multilateral trade negotiations at the World Trade Organization (WTO) may fail unless a solution to the establishment of a multilateral register for geographical indications on wines and spirits (GIs) foreseen in the TRIPS Agreement is found. Failure of the Doha Round would entail serious intended and unintended consequences for the world trading system. Europe’s insistence on a Doha deal on GIs in now accompanied by demands from several developing countries for an extension of GI protection to products other than wines and spirits. Those demanders consider the current emphasis on alcoholic beverages to …
Intellectual Property, Trade & Development: The State Of Play, Daniel J. Gervais
Intellectual Property, Trade & Development: The State Of Play, Daniel J. Gervais
Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications
This Article considers, first, available economic, social, and cultural analyses of the impact of intellectual property protection in developing countries. Economics provides a useful set of analytical tools and are directly relevant, in particular since the successfully arranged marriage of IP and trade rules after which it became inevitable that IP rules would be measured using an economic yardstick. The Paper also considers the claim that making proper intellectual property policy is impossible or inherently unreliable because theoretical models are inadequate or valid empirical data unavailable. Against this backdrop, the Article then examines the emergence of the World Trade Organization …
The Internationalization Of Intellectual Property: New Challenges From The Very Old And The Very New, Daniel J. Gervais
The Internationalization Of Intellectual Property: New Challenges From The Very Old And The Very New, Daniel J. Gervais
Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications
Intellectual property concepts embodied in international treaties and national laws date back to the eighteenth century. Many fundamental concepts (originality in copyright law; confusion in trademark law; novelty or inventiveness in patent law) vary from one country's national legislation to another. Yet, many critics of the intellectual property system recognize that solutions to the problems, ranging from database protection to the Internet, should ideally be the same worldwide. In today's globalized economy, it makes sense to adopt rules to protect that take account of the laws and practices of other nations and of the work of international organizations. Protecting only …