Advocating for a world where intellectual
property law serves the public interest.

The Natural Right To Parody: Assessing The (Potential) Parody/Satire Dichotomies In American And Canadian Copyright Laws

[Amy Lai] This paper argues that the right to expressing oneself through parodies should constitute part of the core freedom of expression of a normative copyright regime. By drawing upon natural law legal theories, the paper proposes a legal definition of parody that would help to bring the copyright jurisprudence of a jurisdiction more in line with its free speech
Read more

Compulsory licensing vs. the IP waiver: what is the best way to end the COVID-19 pandemic?

[Olga Gurgula] This policy brief examines the currently discussed proposals at the World Trade Organization (WTO) that aim to resolve the problem of the production shortages of COVID-19 vaccines. This includes the two key submissions, i.e. the proposal by South Africa and India on the Intellectual Property (IP) waiver, partially supported by the United States (US), and the European Union
Read more

Medicines Patent Pool signs first Covid-19 licence agreement with Merck Sharp & Dohme: Others must follow

[Medicines Law & Policy] The Medicines Patent Pool, a UN-backed organisation whose mission is to expand access to essential medicines around the world, today announced its first agreement on a Covid-19 therapy. The deal comes in the form of a licence and technology transfer agreement with Merck Sharp & Dohme (MSD) on molnupiravir, an investigational therapy for Covid-19 patients. The
Read more

The Civil Rights Challenge to Gene Patenting

[Jorge Contreras] In 2009, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) launched a unique lawsuit against Myriad Genetics, challenging fifteen claims of seven patents covering various aspects of the BRCA1/2 genes and their use in diagnosing risk for breast and ovarian cancer. In mounting this case, the ACLU assembled a coalition of lawyers, scientists, counselors, patients and advocates in an unprecedented
Read more

WTO Extends Measures for LDCs to Access Knowledge, But Why not Go the Whole Way?

[Teresa Hackett] When members of the World Trade Organization (WTO) recently agreed to extend the transition period by which Least Developed Countries (LDCs) must apply WTO rules on intellectual property, it was a welcome decision. However, it fell short of what LDCs had requested, and left open the wider issue of the need for special and differential treatment after a
Read more

Readability, Accessibility, and Clarity: An Analysis of DMCA Repeat Infringer Policies

[Amanda Reid] Abstract: Internet access is an essential service in the digital age, and internet service providers (ISPs) are a powerful choke point in the digital ecosystem. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) offers statutory safe harbor protection from copyright liability on the condition that an online service provider (1) adopts, (2) informs subscribers of, and (3) enforces a policy
Read more

Posts by Category