International Intellectual Property Law

URL study guide

https://studiegids.vu.nl/en/courses/2025-2026/R_Int.prop.l

Course Objective

The course provides an overview of the international legal framework for the protection of intellectual property (IP). Participants will acquire the following knowledge and skills:a general understanding of the role of IP protection in international trade, underlying policy considerations and the current debate on imbalances in the international protection system;the ability to identify and solve problems arising from the international nature of intellectual property, and the ability to assess the current IP system critically in the light of social, cultural and economic needs in developing and developed countries;insight into the relationship between the main areas of international IP law and general questions of business law, in particular the dynamics of international trade negotiations and their impact on IP policy making;knowledge about the actors of the international intellectual property community and how they interact with each other, while acknowledging legal and cultural differences. In particular, participants will understand the role of governments and their interaction with private companies to achieve innovation and development goals;a thorough understanding of the legal positions of various parties in the intellectual property arena and how the conduct of these parties influences the further development of international intellectual property law;analytical skills to apply acquired knowledge of IP rules to concrete problems, such as access to medecine and access to knowledge;the ability to analyse and assess IP literature, case law and legal and policy documents and critically reflect upon them;the ability to formulate an independent and well-substantiated opinion on complex IP issues and take a substantiated position within the existing debate on that issue.Eindtermen: 1-10, 15.

Course Content

The course focuses on the principles and minimum standards of protection established in the Berne Convention for the Protection of Literary and Artistic Works, the Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property and, in particular, the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). In line with the Law in Action approach, individual issues of intellectual property protection will be placed in the context of broader societal problems and concerns, such as:patent protection and public health, in particular the issue of access to medicine in developing countries;copyright protection and freedom to create, in particular the reuse of protected works in the digital environment and for creating generative AI (artificial intelligence);trademark protection of powerful brands and its impact on consumer choice and purchase decisions of consumers;current topics on the international IP agenda and underlying policy and development goals.International intellectual property registration systems constitute an additional topic of the course. The Madrid System for the International Registration of Marks and the Patent Cooperation Treaty will be discussed.

Teaching Methods

The course is based on weekly lectures in which the norms of international intellectual property law, underlying policies and the current debate on the further development of the law will be discussed. In working group sessions, the students will present and discuss selected problems of current international intellectual property law. For this purpose, student presentation groups will be established at the beginning of the course. Participation in the group presentations is required and there is no possibility to do a retake of the presentation (see the information below).

Method of Assessment

Written exam (50% of final grade). Presentation (50% of final grade): each participant of this Course will have to give an oral presentation during one of the working group sessions. For this purpose, student presentation groups (4 members) will be established at the beginning of the Course. The presentation topics and related literature will be made available on Canvas. The mandatory group presentations for this course qualify as a practical exercise in the meaning of art. 3.5(1)(b) Onderwijs
- en Examenregeling, for which no resit possibility is offered. Participation in the group presentations is therefore required, because without a mark for the group presentations, which count for 50% of the final grade, it is impossible to pass this course.

Literature

WIPO Intellectual Property Handbook
- Policy, Law and Use, 2nd edition, Geneva, 2004 (reprint 2008), WIPO Publication No. 489(E), ISBN 92-805-1291-7 available at: https://doi.org/10.34667/tind.28661 In addition to this general overview of the international framework of protection, academic articles on specific topics of international IP law will be made available to the students as reading assignments during the course. These reading materials are made available on Canvas.

Target Audience

Apart from regular students, the course is also available for: Students from other universities/faculties Exchange students Contractor (students who pay for one course) Courses from a master at the faculty can only be taken as a secondary course if you have a diploma that gives access to the relevant master/specialization and if you are enrolled in a master.

Custom Course Registration

A maximum number of 50 students may participate in this course.

Additional Information

CAPACITY A maximum number of 50 students may participate in this course.