Intellectual Property Rights As Foreign Direct Investments

What is the level of convergence between the international investment law framework and the international legal regime regulating intellectual property rights? This discerning book examines the interface between intellectual property and foreign direct

Foreign direct investment (FDI) has played an increasingly significant role in world economic activity and development. During this time, another powerful trend has been transforming an important part of modern economies: they are becoming predominantly 'conceptual' and shifting the emphasis in asset valuation from physical to intellectual property (IP). A similar change can be observed in FDI: they are reflecting an increasing concentration of intellectual capital invested in knowledge goods protected by intellectual property rights. Thus, IP rights have never been more economically and politically important or controversial than they are today. There have long been international treaties that protect IP, but in recent years other international treaties have come into being that protect IP rights along with other property rights. These treaties include various international investment agreements (IIAs), which regard IP rights as a protected investment. This book analyses the standards of treatment and protection enshrined in IIAs for IP rights, with reference to topics such as the interaction of international investment law with IP-specific treaties and public policies; investor–state dispute settlement; IP-related investment cases; intellectual property as an investment; relative standards of treatment (such as national treatment and most-favoured-nation treatment); absolute standards of treatment (such as fair and equitable treatment and full protection and security); and expropriation. The book not only comprehensively describes how intellectual property rights are protected in the context of international investment law, but also attempts to fill gaps and address questions so far left open by the emerging case law addressing the IP–investment interface. Less

Foreign direct investment (FDI) has played an increasingly significant role in world economic activity and development. During this time, another powerful trend has been transforming an important part of modern economies: they are becoming predominantly 'conceptual' and shifting the emphasis in asset valuation from physical to intellectual property (IP). A similar change can be observed in FDI: they are reflecting an increasing concentration of intellectual capital invested in knowledge goods protected by intellectual property rights. Thus, IP rights have never been more economically and politically important or controversial than they are today. There have long been international treaties that protect IP, but in recent years other international treaties have come into being that protect IP rights along with other property rights. These treaties include various international investment agreements (IIAs), which regard IP rights as a protected investment. This book analyses the standards of treatment and protection enshrined in IIAs for IP rights, with reference to topics such as the interaction of international investment law with IP-specific treaties and public policies; investor-state dispute settlement; IP-related investment cases; intellectual property as an investment; relative standards of treatment (such as national treatment and most-favoured-nation treatment); absolute standards of treatment (such as fair and equitable treatment and full protection and security); and expropriation. The book not only comprehensively describes how intellectual property rights are protected in the context of international investment law, but also attempts to fill gaps and address questions so far left open by the emerging case law addressing the IP-investment interface. Less

World Bank Technical Paper No. 306. This paper examines ways in which state-owned enterprises (SOEs) may be structured, governed, operated, and financed as modern corporations. The authors present lessons learned from empirical research and eight case studies and explore the possibilities of systemic limits to reform.

International policies toward protecting intellectual property rights have seen profound changes over the past two decades. Rules on how to protect patents, copyright, trademarks and other forms of intellectual property have become a standard component of international trade agreements. Most significantly, during the Uruguay Round of multilateral trade negotiations (1986-94), members of what is today the World Trade Organization (WTO) concluded the Agreement on Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), which sets out minimum standards of protection that most of the world's economies have to respect. How will developing countries fare in this new international environment? Intellectual Property and Development brings together empirical research that assesses the effects of changing intellectual property regimes on various measures of economic and social performance - ranging from international trade, foreign investment and competition, to innovation and access to new technologies. The studies presented point to an important development dimension to the protection of intellectual property. But a one-size fits all approach to intellectual property is unlikely to work. There is need to adjust intellectual property norms to domestic needs, taking into account developing countries' capacity to innovate, technological needs, and institutional capabilities. In addition, governments need to consider a range of complementary policies to maximize the benefits and reduce the costs of reformed intellectual property regulations. This book will be of interest to students and scholars of international law, particularly in the area of intellectual property rights, international trade, and public policy.

The importance of intellectual property rights in industrialized countries, as well as in emerging economies, has been increasing considerably over the past two decades. An important event in the course of this development was the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). Especially regarding the economic development of the People's Republic of China (PRC), intellectual property rights have attracted the attention of scientists and decision-makers in business and public policy. While China meets the basic legal requirements of a well-developed system for the application and examination of intellectual property rights, the enforcement of these rights still proves to be a major issue. Academic research regarding China's IPR system is still sparse. Moreover, there are considerable gaps in the literature. In previous academic studies, the examination process at the Chinese State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) has not been researched thoroughly. Moreover, the fundamental relationship between international trade flows, foreign direct investment and the design of the patent system in the People's Republic is in need of more detailed analysis. In his dissertation, Johannes Liegsalz tackles three specific questions immediately related to this nexus. He applies multivariate econometric methods to different data sets which were assembled specifically for the purpose of this thesis. The first chapter of the thesis analyzes the duration of the examination process for patent applications at the SIPO.