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Full-Text Articles in Law
The Presumption Of Patentability, Sean B. Seymore
The Presumption Of Patentability, Sean B. Seymore
Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications
When the Framers of the United States Constitution granted Congress the authority to create a patent system, they certainty did not envision a patent as an a priori entitlement. As it stands now, anyone who files a patent application on anything is entitled to a presumption of patentability. A patent examiner who seeks to challenge patentability faces the dual burden of building a prima facie case of unpatentability and carrying the ultimate burden of proof. Thus, from the outset, an applicant is in a very good position; but the examiner’s limited resources, time pressures, and production goals tip the scales …
The Derivative Right, Or Why Copyright Law Protects Foxes Better Than Hedgehogs, Daniel J. Gervais
The Derivative Right, Or Why Copyright Law Protects Foxes Better Than Hedgehogs, Daniel J. Gervais
Vanderbilt Law School Faculty Publications
The derivative right is at the very core of copyright theory. What can and cannot be reused to create a new work impacts freedom of expression but also impacts the value of the markets for works and their various “derivatives.” The derivative right includes forms of derivation and adaptation, such as making a movie from a novel or translating a book. It also covers what this Article refers to as penumbral derivatives, which the US Copyright Act captures using the phrase “based upon” with respect to preexisting works. This leads to indeterminacy about the scope of the derivative right, which …
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 …