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
Last week, I blogged about the recent decision of the WTO’s Appellate Body that upheld Australia’s tobacco plain packaging measures. While the Appellate Body largely agreed with the earlier interpretation of both Articles 16(1) and 20 of the TRIPS Agreement by a dispute settlement panel (hereinafter, panel), there are some notable differences in the way… Continue reading Does Article 20 of TRIPS require a Rigid & Exact Set of Factors to Determine Whether an Encumbrance is Unjustifiable?
This is a quick update regarding the Australia – Plain Packaging case. I have commented on the earlier decision of the WTO’s dispute settlement panel in a short piece available here. In its report, the panel upheld Australia’s tobacco plain packaging measures (TPP measures) as compatible with the TRIPS Agreement. However, two of the complainants… Continue reading NEWSFLASH: WTO’S Appellate Body Upholds Australia’s Tobacco Plain Packaging Measures
There is a prohibition on the registration of ‘trade marks which are contrary to public policy or to accepted principles of morality’ in the European Union (see Article 7(1)(f) of the Regulation (EU) 2017/1001 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 June 2017 on the European Union trade mark). Until as recently… Continue reading ‘Immoral’ Trademarks and Freedom of Expression: The EU and the USA Compared
Emmanuel Oke 