Developing countries face huge challenges when designing and implementing intellectual property rights policy on all levels. This book offers perspectives from a diverse range of developing country participants including civil society participants, farmers, researchers and government officials.

An unprecedented surge in the scope and level of intellectual property rights (IPR) protection has been engulfing the world. This globalizing trend has shifted the balance of interests between private innovators and society at large and tensions have flared around key public policy concerns. As developing nations??? policy options to use IPRs in support of their broader development strategy are being rapidly narrowed down, many experts are questioning the ???one-size-fits-all??? approach to IPR protection and are backing a rebalancing of the global regime. Developing countries face huge...

A comprehensive volume on the relationships between intellectual property, biogenetic resources - in nature and as commercial products - and knowledge relating to practical applications of these resources, including traditional knowledge. The book delves into how these three topics relate to conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, benefit sharing from commercial use of biodiversity, biotechnological innovation and technology transfer, agriculture, food security and nutrition, rural development, and health and international equity. Includes case studies from India and Kenya that...

A comprehensive volume on the relationships between intellectual property, biogenetic resources - in nature and as commercial products - and knowledge relating to practical applications of these resources, including traditional knowledge. The book delves into how these three topics relate to conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, benefit sharing from commercial use of biodiversity, biotechnological innovation and technology transfer, agriculture, food security and nutrition, rural development, and health and international equity. Includes case studies from India and Kenya that...

This text examines the international agreements governing trade in genetic resources - crucial resources for world agriculture, food security and large industries such as pharmaceuticals. Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) in these resources are critical for those involved in the trade, including industry and developing countries. The book analyzes the Convenstion on Biological Diversity (CBD), World Trade Organization agreements and other agreements. It explains how they can be integrated into an equitable training regime.

This book is a highly readable and entertaining account of the co-evolution of the patent system and the life science industries since the mid-19th century. The pharmaceutical industries have their origins in advances in synthetic chemistry and in natural products research. Both approaches to drug discovery and business have shaped patent law, as have the lobbying activities of the firms involved and their supporters in the legal profession. In turn, patent law has impacted on the life science industries. Compared to the first edition, which told this story for the first time, the present...

This book examines the social impact of intellectual property laws. It addresses issues and trends relating to health, food security, education, new technologies, preservation of bio-cultural heritage, and contemporary challenges in promoting the arts. It explores how intellectual property frameworks could be better calibrated to meet socioeconomic needs in countries at different stages of development, with local contexts and culture in mind. Scenarios for the future are discussed. A resource for policy-makers, stakeholders, non-profits, and students, this volume furthermore highlights...