Spanish Abstract: La producción desarrollada localmente, incluyendo la manufactura, la artesanía y especialmente la producción de alimentos en los países latinoamericanos, es esencial para sus economías. Los sistemas de diferenciación de la calidad, como las indicaciones geográficas, las...

In this Statement, the authors take a position on the waiver of intellectual property (IP) protection currently being considered by the members of the World Trade Organisation. The waiver was initiated by India and South Africa as a measure to enable rapid access to affordable medical products...

The defensive protection of traditional knowledge (TK) is one of the IP law mechanisms envisaged to protect cultural heritage and guarantee the rights of indigenous and local communities. Through it, information on the prior existence of this knowledge is used to prevent the fulfillment of...

This article discusses the transformation of a distinctive trade sign into a generic term. Any distinctive trade sign carries this risk, primarily if it benefits from a high level of reputation or prestige, and the product identified is unique in the market. This is probably the most critical...

In the transition to sustainability, innovation will play a crucial role. As the latter follows intricate paths and processes, IPRs might impede further innovation and slow down the transition to sustainability by blocking innovative technologies – or making it harder to access them. Yet, when...

'Study on the Functioning of the EU GIs System'; output of the work of the Max Planck Institute Research Team on Geographical Indications. Andrea Zappalaglio (Coordinator); Flavia Guerrieri; Suelen Carls; Alessandro Gocci

This paper analyses the suitability of the extension of the EU quality schemes – Protected Designations of Origin (PDOs) and Protected Geographical Indications (PGIs) – to the protection of non-agricultural products. In particular, the work develops an original investigation on the nature of...

On 17 June 2022, after nearly one and a half years of intense debate concerning the proposal to waive IP protection in view of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Ministerial Conference of the World Trade Organization adopted a decision on the TRIPS Agreement. It has not waived any intellectual property...

On 5 July 2023, the European Commission issued a proposal for the regulation that intends to relax the requirements for marketing authorisation of plants obtained by certain new genomic techniques (NGTs) in the EU. While NGTs are expected to become more appealing to breeders and farmers, the...