“Trust Me”: Patent Offices in Developing Countries

Abstract

Patent rules matter to the structure and evolution of pharmaceutical markets. If they did not, pharmaceutical multinationals would not spend resources on their globalization and content. The role of pharmaceutical multinationals in shaping the patent provisions of the Agreement on the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) has been well documented. The contributions of developing country coalitions and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) in the World Trade Organization (WTO) on TRIPS and access to medicines have also been studied. One actor, the patent office, has largely escaped detailed scrutiny in the literature that has grown around intellectual property law and access to medicines. There is an obvious explanation. Patent offices are administrative bodies. They administer patent standards that are decided and defined by others – the courts, legislatures or the executive acting in the context of treaty negotiation. For those interested in the structural reform of pharmaceutical markets, reforming patent office administration has not been a high priority.

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