IIPL total exam revision
Serafine Beugelink, March 2024
Table of Contents
IIPL total exam revision ....................................................................................... 1
General scope..................................................................................................... 3
Geerts: Bescherming van de Intellectuele Eigendom (NL) ...... Error! Bookmark not defined.
Intro lecture ............................................................................................................... 4
Yu TRIPS paper ........................................................................................................... 8
Patents ............................................................................................................. 10
Lectures ................................................................................................................... 10
Correa paper ............................................................................................................ 14
Senftleben Horizontal Standard paper ....................................................................... 15
Seminar discussions ................................................................................................ 16
1. The seizure of goods in transit violates the international freedom of trade (TM) ..................... 16
2. Times of pandemics (covid) call for a generous TRIPS patent waiver ..................................... 17
Trademarks ....................................................................................................... 19
Lectures ................................................................................................................... 19
Schmidt-Szalewski paper ......................................................................................... 22
WIPO joint recommendation on Well-Known Marks .................................................... 24
Senftleben trademark tower of Babel paper ............................................................... 24
Seminar discussions ................................................................................................ 25
1. Plain packaging violates international trademark law .......................................................... 25
2. Trademark rights must be limited to further competition and free speech............................. 26
Copyright .......................................................................................................... 28
Lectures ................................................................................................................... 28
Ginsburg paper: from a ‘bundle’ of national copyright laws to a supranational code? ... 32
WTO panel – US (business & homestyle exemption) .................................................... 33
Senftleben horizontal standard paper (same as P)...................................................... 34
Seminar discussions ................................................................................................ 35
1. The international prohibition on formalities leaves room for copyright data improvement...... 35
2. Using creative works as input for generative AI violates no international copyright norms ...... 35
Berne convention .............................................................................................. 36
Paris Convention ............................................................................................... 36
Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) ................................................................................ 38
TRIPS agreement ............................................................................................... 38
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,WIPO Copyright Treaty (WCT) ............................................................................. 38
WIPO Handbook................................................................................................ 38
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,General scope
Intellectual property is defined as nonphysical property that stems from, is identified
as, and whose value is based on an idea or some ideas. It requires novelty: cannot be
commonplace or generally known in society. Only concrete embodiment of the idea (a
fixed form in which humans have access to it) can be protected by IP law. The rights do
not apply to the physical object in which the creation may be embodied but to the
intellectual creation as such.
IP is protected for two reasons (acc. to WIPO):
1. To give statutory expression to the moral and economic rights of creators in their
creations and the rights of the public in access to those creations
2. To promote, as a deliberate act of Government policy, creativity and the
dissemination and application of its results and to encourage fair trading which
would contribute to economic and social development.
Compared to real property, intellectual property is limited in duration and scope. This is
to encourage public knowledge and discourse.
IP is traditionally divided into two branches: copyright (Berne) and industrial property
(Paris). The copyright branche includes literary, artistic and scientific works. It also
includes neighboring rights, like performances of artists, phonograms and broadcasts.
The industrial property branche includes inventions, industrial designs, trademarks,
service marks and commercial names and designations. This branche also includes
protection against unfair competition, as it’s included in the Paris convention (Art. 1(2)
and Art. 10bis(2)).
There aren’t really any international IP rights. IP rights are territorial: they are created by
each country’s national law and typically apply only on conduct that takes place in that
nation. But there’s a web of international IP treaties that establish minimum standards
for IP laws in countries around the world, because ideas need to be able to cross
borders to help societal development.
Treaties give a baseline of minimal protection countries must provide. The most
important minimum standard set up by these treaties is the principle of National
Treatment. Countries can give more protection in their country, but they then also need
to oRer this to other treaty members.
The international treaties are a response to globalization. IP rights play a significant role
in all channels of international trade. Sellers of goods are more likely to sell to a country
that has strong IP rights - especially for products like computer software or films, where
the product is basically pure IP. Developed and developing nations often have very
diRerent attitudes to IP. Developed nations want full economic benefits through strong
IP rights. They argue that (1) strong IP rights are necessary to protect the significant
investments of developing these products and (2) strong IP laws will make developing
countries more attractive trade partners - because traders know their IP exports will be
protected. Developing nations argue that they need access to advanced technology
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, and knowledge to develop, modernize and compete in the modern world. They usually
see strong IP rights as a tool to deny or limit their access to technologies (via high
royalties and licencing fees).
WIPO IP treaties fall into three groups.
1. Treaties that establish international protection
Paris Convention, Madrid Agreement for the Repression of False and Deveptive
Indications of Source on Goods
2. Treaties that facilitate international protection
PCT, Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks
3. Treaties that establish classification systems and procedures for improving them
and keeping them up to date.
IPC, Nice Agreement Concerning the International Classification of Goods and
Services for the Purposes of the Registration of Marks
Intro lecture
2 main branches, historically:
1. copyright and neighboring rights (Berne convention)
2. industrial property (Paris convention)
Not an important distinction anymore, it came about historically through diRerent
conventions
Copyright and neighboring rights
Cultural inspiration: protection of literary and artistic works
Books, writings, plays, music, choreography, drawings, paintings, sculptures,
architecture, cinematographic works, photography. Whatever you create.
Industrial property
Industrial property
Technical innovation: protection of products and processes (patents)
Inventions, layout designs of integrated circuits, lego blocks (the concept of how they
click), medicine, beschuit
Aesthetic innovation: protection of product appearance
The appearance of perfume, a watch, shoes, chairs.. For industrial designs and works of
applied art. The design should be distinct, have its own character
Market transparency: protection of distinctive signs
Logos of companies
Is to protect the company (from using their name / logo), but also to protect consumers
(so they know what they’re using)
Trademarkts, trade names, geographical indications (is diRerent from patents copyright
and trademarks. It’s protection of products from a specific region, like Champagne)
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