SOLM291 - International Law of Patents - 2023/24

Patents provide, for a limited time, the right to exclude others from acts of making, using, selling, keeping or importing products containing the patented invention. Under the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Agreement on Trade-Related Intellectual Property Rights (the TRIPS Agreement) WTO Members, in particular developing countries, face challenges in meeting their obligations to provide patent protection and related rights. The module will assess the extent to which these obligations derived from international law impact on access to medicines (including Covid-19 vaccines), traditional knowledge, biological diversity, farmers' rights, food security and human rights.