Intellectual Property

Call for Papers: The African Renaissance and International Cultural Heritage Law

The special issue aims to spot the incommensurable potential of African heritage and encourage its local protection for the benefit of local communities and sustainable development. It also aims to highlight the promises and pitfalls of current international cultural heritage law in safeguarding African cultural heritage and harnessing its potential for promoting sustainable development. International cultural heritage law has developed using European conceptions of cultural property protection. As a result, it rarely reflects current African realities. Are there ways to adapt or use the existing legal frameworks to promote cultural protection and sustainable development in Africa? Discussions on alternatives for protecting African cultural heritage at the regional and continental levels, or reviews of any such extant mechanisms, are encouraged. Good practices that African countries can learn from or export to other countries are also welcome. Pertinent case studies are welcome too.

Book Review: Intellectual Property Law in Nigeria: Emerging Trends, Theories and Practice, D.O. Oriahkogha and A.I. Olubiyi (Benin City: Paclerd Press, 2023)

This is the second collaboration by experts in the field of IP law, Dr. Desmond Oriakhogba and Dr Ifeoluwa Olubiyi, who have come together again to make substantial changes to the first edition of their text which assessed the theories, practices, and emerging trends of IP law in Nigeria. In their resourceful second edition, the authors have taken upon themselves the responsibility of analyzing the dynamic realm of IP law, and how it continues to shape and protect IP property rights in an increasingly multifaceted and interrelated world. They recognize that the Nigerian IP law landscape will need to keep up with technological advancements in the space even as technology continues to develop.

Symposium Introduction: Critical and Contextual Perspectives on International Economic Law: Amplifying the Voices of African Students and Early-Career Researcher

We hope the papers in this symposium will contribute to the ongoing efforts worldwide to achieve epistemological and methodological diversity in the IEL discipline. As a new Forum, we aim to remain flexible, experimental and responsive to the changing landscape in IEL. We will like to take this opportunity to thank the academics who have supported the Academic Forum over the last two years. We hope we can continue to count on your support as we devise robust and practical ways to decolonise and pluralise IEL research, scholarship and practice as a counterpoint to the dominant Western-centric IEL imagination.

Incorporating a Model of Human Rights into the Adjudication of Pharmaceutical Patent Cases (Part Two) South Africa as a Case Study - Book Review

Oke’s book Patents, Human Rights and Access to Medicines, is a timely and valuable contribution to the literature in this area. Its timeliness is due to the global context of the COVID-19 pandemic since 2019. The discussion of the import of patents to access to medicines, from a human rights lens is a critical endeavour which has been undertaken by several scholars. The seminal Intellectual Property, Human Rights and Access to Medicines-A Selected and Annotated Bibliography, now in its 3rd edition (Velásquez, Correa and Ido, 2020) curates the majority of this literature.

In Search of a Suitable Theoretical Justification for Patent Rights

The book is a must-read for policymakers, governments, regional communities, students, researchers, health practitioners and anyone that may be interested in 'the access to medicine for all' campaign. The depth of analysis and critical thinking renders the author's arguments very persuasive and practical. It will stimulate the readers to view patent law and policy as a ‘work in progress’ rather than being ‘cast in stone’ and get them thinking about how it can be further improved. The book is highly recommended.

Call for Papers: Journal of International Economic Law Junior Faculty Forum

The Forum welcomes submissions covering a wide range of international economic law topics – trade, investment, finance, tax, labor, intellectual property, data, and other topics reflective of the broad nature of the field. Scholars who have previously presented in the IEL‐Forum are not eligible to apply.

Book Review: Review of Oriakhobga’s Copyright, Collective Management Organizations and Competition in Africa

One outstanding feature of this book is that it provides significant historical information on the operations of CMOs in the sample countries and discusses some important cases in CMO management even as it highlights the nexus between the operation of CMOs and the application of competition law to their regulations. The book is to be recommended to students and specialists in the field of law, especially IP and Competition law in Africa and the rest of the developing world. Dr. Oriakhogba in writing this book, has made a valuable contribution to the discourse in this area and laid the foundation for further study of it.

Book Review: Collective Management of Copyright in South Africa: A Review of D. O. Oriakhogba Copyright Collective Management Organizations and Competition in Africa (Juta, 2021)

Dr Desmond Oriakhogba’s work, Copyright Collective Management Organisations and Competition in Africa is poised to become a seminal reference work in the field of collective management, for a number of reasons: first, it is one of only a paucity of dedicated full texts on the subject of collective management in Africa; secondly, it is the first such text to explore in-depth the question of the application of competition law in the area of collective management – a subject-matter that has been fully explored in other mature jurisdictions such as the United States and the European Union, but hardly considered within the African context; thirdly, it explores the law and practices in three key jurisdictions in the South, the East and the West of Africa; and fourthly, it is an expertly written text and a veritable scholarly work, while simultaneously written in a flowing, easy-to-follow style making for a good long-weekend read.

Introduction to Book Symposium – Copyright, Collective Management Organisations and Competition in Africa: Regulatory Perspectives from Nigeria, South Africa and Kenya (Juta, 2021)

The collective management of copyright and related rights (collective management) is fast growing in Africa and continues to contribute to the growth of the copyright-based industry not just in the individual African countries, but also on a continental level. It contributes by facilitating access to copyright works for users, generating revenue for copyright owners, creating job opportunities and promoting creativity and social welfare, particularly for Africa’s youthful and vibrant creators. As such, collective management continue to remain a key component of the economic activities happening within the copyright-based industries in Africa.