Athens, Ga. – Intellectual property law experts from around the country will gather at the University of Georgia School of Law to discuss the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights during a daylong conference Jan. 28. Beginning at 8:30 a.m. in the Larry Walker Room of Dean Rusk Hall, the event is free and open to the public.
The TRIPS agreement introduced intellectual property law into the international trading system for the first time. Now, 15 years later, the leading authorities on the subject will conduct a “then and now” examination of the agreement and its effectiveness.
“TRIPS remains the most comprehensive international agreement on intellectual property protection,” said Jennifer L. Pridgeon, a third-year law student and conference organizer. “It is important to determine just how effective it has been in achieving its original goals and to explore other possible actions that may need to be taken to protect intellectual property rights at a global level.”
Titled “15 Years of TRIPS Implementation: Intellectual Property Protection From a Global Perspective,” the conference will feature panels covering such topics as compulsory licensing, compliance and defiance, TRIPS’ weaknesses, the anti-counterfeiting trade agreement, and the relation between TRIPS and other subsequent free trade agreements.
The keynote address will be delivered by University of Minnesota Law School Prosser Professor Ruth Okediji, who will present “If WIPO Leads, Should the World Follow? Decentralizing IP Norm-making Processes and the Norms that Result There-from.”
The conference is sponsored by the UGA School of Law Dean Rusk Center as well as its Journal of Intellectual Property Law. CLE credits are available. For more information, see www.law.uga.edu/.
