The Law of the Sea and Intellectual Property Law
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Transcript The Law of the Sea and Intellectual Property Law
Marine Genetic Resources:
The Law of the Sea and
Intellectual Property Law
Charlotte Salpin
OUTLINE
Setting the scene
Relevant provisions of UNCLOS
Relevant intellectual property law
The nexus
Objectives of UNCLOS and Intellectual
property law
Some issues of compatibility
Conclusions
RELEVANT PROVISIONS OF
UNCLOS
Areas Beyond
National Jurisdiction
High Seas (Part VII)
Area (Part XI; 1994 Agreement)
Marine Scientific Research
Part XIII
Technology Transfer
Part XIV
MARINE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
GENERAL PRINCIPLES
No unjustifiable interference with other legitimate
uses of the sea (Art. 240)
Shall not constitute the legal basis for any claim to
any part of the marine environment or its resources
(Art. 241)
States and competent international organizations
are required to ‘make available by publication and
dissemination through appropriate channels . . .
knowledge resulting from [MSR]’ and ‘actively
promote the flow of scientific data and information
and the transfer of knowledge resulting from
[MSR], especially to developing States’ (Art. 244)
MARINE SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH
AREAS BEYOND NATIONAL
JURISDICTION
High Seas
States have the
right to conduct
MSR in the water
column beyond
EEZ (Art. 257)
Scientific research,
a freedom of the
High Seas (Art. 87)
Area
States have the right to conduct
MSR in the Area (Art. 256)
Carried out exclusively for peaceful
purposes and for the benefit of
mankind as a whole (Art. 143.1)
ISA coordinates and disseminates
the results of research and analysis,
when available (Art. 143.2)
States to promote international
cooperation, including by effectively
disseminating the results of
research and analysis, when
available, through ISA or appropriate
channels (Art. 143.3)
RELEVANT INTELLECTUAL
PROPERTY LAW
Patents
Trademarks
(e.g., “Abyssine”)
Geographical
indications
(e.g., “Rainbow”)
TRIPS
Budapest Treaty
[Filed at any stage of R&D]
Madrid system (Agreement and
Protocol)
[Downstream IP]
Paris Convention
Lisbon Agreement
TRIPS
[Downstream IP]
PATENTS
Patentability criteria
Novelty
Inventive step
Capable of industrial application
Patentable subject-matter
Disclosure of invention
Patent owners
NEXUS
Objectives
UNCLOS
peaceful uses of the
seas and oceans
equitable and efficient
utilization of their
resources
conservation of their
living resources
study, protection and
preservation of the
marine environment
economic and social
advancement of all
peoples of the world
Intellectual Property
Reward intellectual
effort
Stimulate research
Promote creativity and
innovation
Promote dissemination
and application of
innovation
Encourage fair trading
(WIPO Handbook)
Relationship among
conventions
UNCLOS (art.311)
“Shall not alter the rights
and obligations of States
Parties which arise from
other agreements
compatible with this
Convention and which
do not affect the
enjoyment by other
States Parties of their
rights or the
performance of their
obligations under this
Convention”
Patent instruments
TRIPS: silent
Budapest Treaty:
silent
NEXUS
Questions of compatibility
Is patenting a claim to the marine
environment or its resources?
Is the degree of confidentiality required prior
to the filing for patents in order to safeguard
the novel character of an invention
compatible with the requirement for
dissemination and publication of data and
research results?
Claims of exclusivity over
marine resources
ARTICLE 241
No legal basis for ter itorial and maritime claims
No legal basis for claim to the exclusive use of marine resources
No legal basis for ownership claim over marine resources
No legal basis for claim to the exclusive exploitation of marine resources
Publication and dissemination of
research results
Issue of ownership of the results:
who holds the right to proceed to
publication and dissemination?
Issue of how the results are
published and disseminated (time
and mode)
NEXUS
Avenues for consistent implementation
Use of exceptions of the system, e.g.,:
Research use (non-commercial uses)
exemptions
Exclusion of diagnostic, therapeutic and
surgical methods for the treatment of human
beings or animals from patentability
Compulsory licenses
Conditions related to publication and
dissemination
CONCLUSIONS
Compatibility between the law of the sea
and IP law is largely an issue of
implementation
Need for studies on how patent instruments
have been implemented in relation to
marine genetic resources from ABNJ
Explore possibility of using other types of IP:
trademarks and geographical indications
(downstream patenting); open-source
licensing
THANK YOU!