Now that the WTO members have finally been able to agree on a TRIPS ‘waiver’ for covid-19 at the 12th Ministerial Conference, it is time to critically evaluate this waiver decision. To start with, the only key waiver in this decision is in its paragraph 3(b) which permits an eligible member to waive Article 31(f)… Continue reading The TRIPS COVID ‘Waiver’ Decision: Rhetorical Action or Realistic Solution?
The official draft text of the proposed TRIPS Waiver for covid-19 has now been released. It was circulated to members of the TRIPS Council on the 3rd of May 2022. The official draft text was accompanied with a cover letter from the Director-General of the WTO who noted that the text was the outcome of… Continue reading The Official Text of the Proposed TRIPS Waiver for Covid-19
In July 2020, I blogged about Saudi Arabia’s appeal of the panel report in the Saudi Arabia – Measures Concerning the Protection of Intellectual Property Rights dispute. There is now an update regarding this dispute. The parties to the dispute, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, have both agreed to suspend the appellate proceedings and any proceedings… Continue reading Saudi Arabia and Qatar Mutually Agree to Suspend IP Dispute at the WTO
Earlier this month, on the 3rd of November 2021, Ghana deposited its instrument of accession to the Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement on Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications (Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement) of 2015. The Geneva Act will thus enter into force, with respect to Ghana, 3 months after its accession… Continue reading Ghana’s Accession to the Geneva Act of the Lisbon Agreement [Updated*]
Hi everyone, This is just a quick announcement about my first monograph titled the Interface between Intellectual Property and Investment Law which has just been published by Edward Elgar. The book critically examines how investment tribunals (should) engage with the rules of international intellectual property law when resolving investment disputes involving intellectual property rights. If… Continue reading The Interface between Intellectual Property and Investment Law
Happy new year to you, dear reader. So, I have had the chance to quickly look through the intellectual property provisions of the EU-UK Trade & Cooperation Agreement (TCA). I read the version of the TCA that is available on the UK government’s website here dated 24 December 2020. The analysis below is based on… Continue reading Intellectual Property in the EU-UK (Brexit) Trade and Cooperation Agreement
Earlier this month, I blogged about the proposal submitted to the WTO’s TRIPS Council by India and South Africa. The proposal requests for the waiver of the obligations in the TRIPS Agreement on copyright, industrial designs, patents, and undisclosed information in relation to the prevention, containment, and treatment of COVID-19. This post is a follow-up… Continue reading Suspending TRIPS to Fight COVID-19? Part 2
The final award in Bridgestone v. Panama (dated 14 August 2020) is the latest instalment in a line of cases where corporate actors have challenged intellectual property measures and court decisions affecting intellectual property rights before investment tribunals. Bridgestone involved the latter i.e. a court decision involving intellectual property rights. The facts of the case… Continue reading Bridgestone v. Panama: Investment Tribunals are not Appellate Courts
One of the companies at the fore-front of developing a vaccine for COVID-19, Moderna, has pledged not to enforce its COVID-19 related patents during the pandemic. This is commendable. While recognising that ‘intellectual property rights play an important role in encouraging investment in research’, Moderna stated that: …there are other COVID-19 vaccines in development that… Continue reading Moderna Pledges Not to Enforce COVID-19 related Patents during Pandemic
India and South Africa have now submitted a proposal (dated 2 October 2020) to the WTO’s TRIPS Council requesting for the waiver of Sections 1 (Copyright), 4 (Industrial Designs), 5 (patents), and 7 (undisclosed information) of Part II of the TRIPS Agreement in relation to the prevention, containment, and treatment of COVID-19. The waiver would… Continue reading Suspending TRIPS to Fight COVID-19?
Emmanuel Oke 