Prerequisites: None

Exam Type: No Exam

This seminar will cover fundamental principles of international IP law with an emphasis on comparative approaches to scope of protection, limitations and exceptions, cross-border litigation and dispute settlement. Students will study major treaties that govern the international regulation of patents and copyrights, focusing on the implementation and enforcement of the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). We will examine TRIPS obligations in light of a number of current global challenges (access to culture, access to medicines, climate change, and rights of indigenous peoples) closely associated with the international IP system. Finally, we will explore international IP enforcement mechanisms and the role of leading international organizations and non-governmental organizations in global IP norm-setting.