Intellectual Property Law Commons^™

Wag The Dog: Using Incidental Intellectual Property Rights To Block Parallel Imports, Mary Lafrance

Scholarly Works

Federal law grants owners of intellectual property rights different degrees of control over parallel imports depending on the nature of their exclusive rights. While trademark owners enjoy strong control over unauthorized imports bearing their marks, their protection is less comprehensive than that granted to owners of copyrights and patents. To broaden their rights, some trademark owners have incorporated copyrighted material into their products or packaging, enabling them to block otherwise lawful imports in contravention of the policies underlying trademark law. A 2013 Supreme Court decision has significantly narrowed the importation ban of copyright law, but there may be pressure to …

Plain Packaging And The Interpretation Of The Trips Agreement, Susy Frankel, Daniel Gervais

Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law

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 …

Collaborative Innovation And Economic Growth: A Comment On China’S Innovation Policies, Chen Wang, Jon Sallet

Cardozo Law Review de•novo

China has also taken steps to encourage the creation of intellectual property by Chinese companies. This Article will first examine the nature of those policies, then consider their impact on the goal of better innovation in China, as well as the impact on multi-national companies that wish to do business in China. The Article will conclude with suggestions about the best ways to build innovation policy to encourage sustainable relationships between China and multi-national companies.

Taking Atrip Down Memory Lane, Peter K. Yu

Faculty Scholarship

The International Association for the Advancement of Teaching and Research in Intellectual Property (ATRIP) was founded in Geneva in July 1981, with the support and assistance of the World Intellectual Property Organization. This professional academic association now includes hundreds of intellectual property professors and researchers from around the world. As the final contribution to the "ATRIP Passes 30" Symposium, which collects the reminiscences of the past and current ATRIP presidents, this short essay provides, in chronological order, some key information about all the pre-ATRIP Round Tables and ATRIP Congresses. This short history not only documents the historical origins, rapid growth …

The Bellagio Global Dialogues On Intellectual Property, Joe Karaganis

Joint PIJIP/TLS Research Paper Series

This paper is an account of the Bellagio conferences and of their place within the larger arc of Rockefeller intellectual property work since 2002. In a more limited fashion, it is also an account of the transformation of IP from an obscure legal specialty into a major discourse of power and debate about the shape of globalization. The broadest achievement of the Bellagio series—and of Rockefeller Foundation work more generally in this area—has been to make this debate more open, participatory, and engaged with questions of poverty and human development.

Gray Days Ahead?: The Impact Of Quality King Distributors, Inc. V. L'Anza Research International, Inc. , William Richelieu

Pepperdine Law Review

No abstract provided.

Value Divergence In Global Intellectual Property Law, J. Janewa Osei-Tutu

Articles

It is a challenge for the United States to adequately protect the interests of its intellectual property industries. It is particularly difficult to effectively achieve this objective when the interests of the United States are not in line with the social, cultural, and economic goals of other nations. Yet, as a major exporter of intellectual property protected goods, the United States has an interest in negotiating effective international intellectual property agreements that are perceived to be legitimate by the state signatories and their constituents. Focusing on value divergence, this Article contributes to the growing body of literature on developing a …

Why Copyright Falls Behind The Requirement For Protecting Graphic User Interfaces: Case Studies On Limitations Of Copyright Protection For Guis In China, Ling Jin, Yihong Ying

IP Theory

No abstract provided.

Workshop On Research And Resource Commons In Scientific Research: Final Report, Michael W. Carroll

Joint PIJIP/TLS Research Paper Series

In November of 2011, the Washington College of Law at American University convened and hosted a two-day workshop in collaboration with the Creative Commons to develop a strategy for promoting a commons or scientific research and related resources. The workshop brought together interested stakeholders from across the scientific research enterprise: scientists, administrators, librarians, publishers, societies, technologists, lawyers, policy makers, students, funders, and Open Science advocates, including both U.S. and international representatives. This diverse group discussed the current state of policy and technology as it relates to a scientific research commons, and identified key opportunities and challenges, as well as next …

“Advancing With The Times: Industrial Design Protection In The Era Of Virtual Migration”, Horacio E. Gutiérrez

IP Theory

No abstract provided.

One Step Ahead Two Steps Back: Reverse Engineering 2nd Draft For 3rd Revision Of The Chinese Copyright Law, Hong Xue

Joint PIJIP/TLS Research Paper Series

On July 6, 2012, the National Copyright Administration of China released the 2nd Draft of the 3rd Revision of the copyright law, in which 81 provisions were changed from the 1st Draft. It does contain a few improvements, but it contains more compromises and even steps backward under the pressure of interest groups. It is unfortunate that China, the largest country by both population and Internet users, despite its fast-growing economy, seems missing the opportunities to craft a 21st-Century Copyright Law, but instead follows the old path of “the more the better” (more copyright protection and enforcement, the better economic …

The Alphabet Soup Of Transborder Intellectual Property Enforcement, Peter K. Yu

Faculty Scholarship

n the past few years, policymakers, academic commentators, consumer advocates, civil liberties groups, and user communities have expressed grave concerns about the steadily increasing levels of enforcement of intellectual property rights. Many of these concerns relate to the "alphabet soup" of transborder intellectual property enforcement, which consists of the following: SECURE, IMPACT, ACTA, TPP, COICA, PIPA, SOPA, and OPEN.

Published in the inaugural issue of Drake Law Review Discourse, this short essay identifies six different concerns and challenges the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) poses to U.S. consumers, technology developers, and small and midsize firms. It then explores the ongoing negotiation …

International Dispute Settlement At The Trademark-Domain Name Interface, Laurence R. Helfer

Pepperdine Law Review

No abstract provided.

Regulatory And Judicial Implementations Of Patent Law Flexibilities, Sarah R. Wasserman Rajec

Faculty Publications

No abstract provided.

Rebalancing Trips, Molly Land

Michigan Journal of International Law

Application of the World Trade Organization's (WTO) dispute resolution procedures to the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS Agreement) has provoked a variety of reactions over time. At its inception, the decision to enforce the treaty through the WTO's dispute resolution process was widely viewed as a loss for developing countries. Many feared it would lead to an explosion of litigation against developing countries and cause distortions in domestic intellectual property (IP) policy making. More recent scholarship, however, has argued that these fears were unfounded. Few disputes before WTO panels have involved violations of the TRIPS Agreement, even …

A Pragmatic Approach To Intellectual Property And Development: A Case Study Of The Jordanian Copyright Law In The Internet Age, Rami Olwan

Joint PIJIP/TLS Research Paper Series

On October 4, 2004, Brazil and Argentina requested that WIPO adopt a development-oriented approach to IP and to reconsider its work in relation to developing countries. In October, 2007, WIPO member States adopted a historic decision for the benefit of developing countries, to establish a WIPO Development Agenda. Although there have been several studies related to IP and development that call for IP laws in developing countries to be development-friendly, there is little research that attempts to provide developing countries with practical measures to achieve that goal. This article takes the copyright law in Jordan as a case study and …

Beyond The Unrealistic Solution For Development Provided By The Appendix Of The Berne Convention On Copyright, Alberto Cerda Silva

Joint PIJIP/TLS Research Paper Series

The standards of copyright protection promoted by the Berne Convention are highly problematic for developing countries because these countries need to ensure a wide dissemination of works for teaching, scholarship, and research purposes. In order to accommodate these needs and to promote accession to this Convention, the 1971 Paris Act of the Berne Convention, included an Appendix that allowed developing countries to issue compulsory licenses for translating and/or reproducing foreign works into languages of general use in their territories. Unfortunately, the Appendix has not met the needs of developing countries, which, instead, have relied on idiosyncratic solutions. Additionally, the instrument …

Not In It For The Long Run: China's Solution For Compliance With Trips Requires More Than A Nine-Month Campaign, Devon Spencer

University of Miami International and Comparative Law Review

No abstract provided.

The Middle Kingdom And The Intellectual Property World, Peter K. Yu

Faculty Scholarship

Delivered as the keynote opening address at the Symposium on "China's Role in Regulating the Global Information Economy," this Article scrutinizes China's participation in the international intellectual property regime and its role in both the WTO and WIPO. It begins by discussing China's engagement with international intellectual property norms before its accession to the WTO in December 2001. It points out that China is not a "norm breaker" one typically infers from its disappointing record of intellectual property protection. Instead, the country should be viewed as a "norm taker," having accepted most of the WIPO-administered intellectual property treaties available for …

The Sopa-Tpp Nexus, Jonathan Band

Joint PIJIP/TLS Research Paper Series

The controversy in the United States over the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) has profound implications for the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement. The SOPA debate underscores the importance of striking the proper balance in intellectual property laws to promote creativity and innovation. It demonstrates that over-protection can stifle free expression and the effective operation of the Internet as a medium of communication and commerce not only within a jurisdiction, but also extraterritorially. Additionally, the debate reveals the ability of the Internet community to mobilize quickly to defeat policies that it believes threaten its existence. TPP negotiators should understand the SOPA …

The Morning After: Trips-Plus, Ftas And Wikileaks - Fresh Insights On The Implementation And Enforcement Of Ip Protection In Developing Countries, Mohammed El Said

Joint PIJIP/TLS Research Paper Series

Leaked diplomatic cables related to the United States’ foreign policy implementing and enforcing intellectual property in developing countries draw a bleak picture. U.S. interest groups and local agents collaborate to achieve higher levels of intellectual property protection without taking into consideration the public interest and consumer rights of local communities. This "act of state-sponsored violence," as some have proclaimed it, jeopardizes the lives of millions of citizens across the globe. It also undermines the foundations of the global multilateral trading regime and its institutions, particularly the World Trade Organization (WTO), which was created by the global community in 1995 in …

Canada And Israel: Cultivating Fairness Of Use, Meera Nair

Joint PIJIP/TLS Research Paper Series

Despite global trends to expand the ambit of copyright, Canada and Israel both show promise in cultivating the principal of fairness when exercising exceptions to copyright. Their journeys were led by their highest courts; each sought to shift the dialogue of exceptions from stringent allowance to robust application. Both countries began from the rigidity of fair dealing and considered expansion into the realm of fair use. This exploration is intriguing given that both countries show an uncanny similarity in terms of the manner by which their nation states came into being, their ensuing diversity of population, the mixture of common …

Positive Proposals For Treatment Of Online Intermediaries, Margot E. Kaminski

Joint PIJIP/TLS Research Paper Series

In the past several years of free trade agreement negotiations, a number of proposals for establishing an international standard of liability for copyright infringement by online intermediaries have emerged. These proposals consistently lack consideration of their implications for Internet users. Building off a public stakeholder presentation given by the author at the ninth round of negotiations of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement, held in Lima, Peru, this paper aims to identify both general principles and specific user-protecting provisions that should be considered when discussing proposals for intermediary liability.

Value Divergence In Global Intellectual Property Law, J. Janewa Oseitutu

Faculty Publications

It is a challenge for the United States to adequately protect the interests of its intellectual property industries, especially when U.S. interests are not in line with the social, cultural, and economic goals of other nations. Yet, as a major exporter of intellectual property protected goods, the U.S. has an interest in negotiating effective international intellectual property agreements that are perceived to be legitimate by the state signatories and their constituents. Focusing on value divergence, this article contributes to the growing body of literature on developing a robust but flexible global intellectual property system, arguing that the trade-based approach to …

Settlement Of India/Eu Wto Dispute Re Seizures Of In-Transit Medicines: Why The Proposed Eu Border Regulation Isn't Good Enough, Brook K. Baker

Joint PIJIP/TLS Research Paper Series

European Customs officials have used fictive patent rights to justify the seizure of lawful generic medicines produced in India and destined for non-European markets. Following a public outcry and initiation of two WTO complaints, the EU has proposed amendments to Border Regulations Measure 1383/2003. The Proposed Border Regulation in its current form will not adequately resolve the risk of interception in Europe of medicines lawfully manufactured and exported from India and destined for lawful import and consumption in a non-EU country. This analysis concludes that multiple weaknesses remain in the Border Regulations, including: (1) continued coverage of alleged patent and …

Acta & Access To Learning Materiols In Morocco: An Examination Of How Acta Impacts The Creation Of A Moroccan Orphan Works Regime, Caroline B. Ncube

Joint PIJIP/TLS Research Paper Series

This paper briefly examines the current regime of copyright law in Morocco and seeks to examine the status of orphan works in Morocco, in lieu its membership as the sole African country in the recently signed Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). The paper concludes that Morocco can, and ought to, enact exceptions and limitations that facilitate meaningful access to orphan works in both analogue and digital formats.

The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement Of 2010: Two Problems And One Unanswered Question, Roxane Delaurell

Global Business Law Review

Further, as might be expected, uncertainty in the international context is likely to be the greatest at that point where enforcement is called for; that is, that point where the tangible expression of the force of law and of the courts‘ authority must be executed. It is for this reason that the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (―ACTA) was drafted. Finalized in December of 2010, ACTA seeks to address problematic issues with regard to enforcement of IPR (Intellectual Property Rights) across borders and ―in the digital environment.International trafficking in unlicensed copyrighted material, and counterfeit trademarked goods and consumables––the two areas addressed by …

A Case Against Acta, Kenneth L. Port

Faculty Scholarship

The Anti-counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) is being considered by the Obama Administration as an Executive Order. If signed, this Order will greatly enhance controls placed at the borders of 36 countries to attempt to stop the international flow of so-called counterfeit goods. To remove the social, political and emotional sensitivity, I adopt the value neutral term of “imitative commodity” to describe what some call counterfeits, knockoffs, pirates, etc. This article uses just three manufacturers of luxury status goods to consider whether the ACTA will have positive or negative consequences. It concludes that the data supporting the need for the ACTA …

Extraterritorial Protection Of Trade Secret Rights In China: Do Section 337 Actions At The Itc Really Prevent Trade Secret Theft Abroad?, 11 J. Marshall Rev. Intell. Prop. L. 523 (2012), Steven E. Feldman, Sherry L. Rollo

UIC Review of Intellectual Property Law

With an ever increasing number of United States ("U.S.") companies conducting business abroad or conducting business with foreign entities there is more need than ever for the U.S. companies to consider how they can protect their intellectual property assets. The Federal Circuit‘s recent TianRui Grp.Co. v. Int’l Trade Comm’n and Amsted Indus. decision highlights the potential of section 337 of the U.S. Patent Act as a tool to prevent the exploitation of misappropriated trade secrets embodied in products that are imported into the United States. This article explores the potential impact of the TianRui decision on business practices abroad, particularly …

The Criminalization Of The Theft Of Trade Secrets: An Analysis Of The Economic Espionage Act, Nicola Searle

IP Theory

No abstract provided.