Global Diseases, Global Patents and Differential Treatment in WTO Law

59 Pages Posted: 9 Feb 2005

See all articles by Bradly J. Condon

Bradly J. Condon

ITAM - School of Law

Tapen Sinha

Chennai Mathematical Institute; Nottingham University Business School; Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM) - Division of Actuarial Science, Statistics and Mathematics

Date Written: May 2, 2005

Abstract

As of January 1, 2005, all developing country members of the WTO are required to implement the WTO Agreement on Trade Related Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). We analyze the issue of access to patented medicine to treat global and neglected diseases in developing countries in the context of WTO law. We present legal and economic arguments that support balancing the rights of producers and users on a market-by-market basis and argue against taking a uniform approach globally. We develop an analytical framework for assessing special and differential treatment of developing countries in WTO law and apply this framework to TRIPS. We then propose criteria for assessing the correct balance between the rights of producers and users on a market-by-market basis in order to operationalize special and differential treatment with respect to pharmaceutical patents.

Keywords: WTO, TRIPS, global diseases, WIPO, developing countries, HIV, AIDS, index construction

JEL Classification: K2, K33, K42

Suggested Citation

Condon, Bradly J. and Sinha, Tapen, Global Diseases, Global Patents and Differential Treatment in WTO Law (May 2, 2005). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=664621 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.664621

Bradly J. Condon

ITAM - School of Law ( email )

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Tapen Sinha (Contact Author)

Chennai Mathematical Institute ( email )

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India

Nottingham University Business School ( email )

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Instituto Tecnológico Autónomo de México (ITAM) - Division of Actuarial Science, Statistics and Mathematics ( email )

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