Improving IP-Related Technical Assistance

According to the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development, new and important resources have been channelled to assist developing countries in intellectual property(IP) policy-making, legal reform, administration, regulation and enforcement. However, a number of stakeholders have raised substantial concerns about whether this assistance has always been appropriately tailored to the circumstances and the specific needs of the developing country concerned. This article reviews some of these concerns and suggests ways to improve the design and implementation of IP-related Technical Assistance (IPRTA) programmes. It concludes that a number of IP issues should be taken into account when designing scientific and innovation policies. These include the maintenance of, and access to, patent databases; the scope of research exceptions in patent laws; exceptions in copyrights laws; quality of patent examinations; the relationship of the IP offices with the private and public research sectors; possible limitations to follow-up innovations that might arise from overbroad protection; and alternative IP schemes such as utility models.