Research and Advocacy

For many years, PIJIP faculty members have worked to assure that the copyright fair use doctrine remains vibrant, in both analog and digital contexts. PIJIP faculty have testified before Congress and filed Supreme Court and other federal appellate and district court amicus briefs, and WCL’s Glushko-Samuelson Intellectual Property Law Clinic has provided legal advice and counseling to many individuals and entities seeking to make fair uses of copyrighted materials.

PIJIP assists and represents local and international organizations, developing country governments, US state governments, and others seeking to facilitate access to affordable medications. Recent activities have included submitting briefs in federal appellate courts and testifying before legislatures supporting state efforts to regulate medicine prices, analyzing the impact of free trade agreements on access to medicines, and providing legal research to AIDS Activists in South Africa.

The Open Access and Digital Sharing project seeks to advance the ideal that end users on the Internet should be entitled access to academic journals and other publications currently being held hostage behind licensing fees that prevent the majority of the public from engaging in the knowledge and research contained within such publications.

PIJIP is actively engaged in the analysis and reform of patent, trademark and copyright laws. PIJIP faculty and staff have filed amicus briefs in the Supreme Court and Federal Appellate Courts, drafted model legislative provisions, prepared and delivered testimony to Congress, and consulted for numerous domestic and international non-profit and intergovernmental organizations and legislators on issues involving intellectual property law reform.

Many of PIJIP’s projects involve issues at the intersection of intellectual property’s relation to trade, human rights and development interests of developing countries. PIJIP advises governments, intergovernmental organizations, and NGOs on implementation of the WTO agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) as well as on the negotiation and implementation of intellectual property provisions of Free Trade Agreements.

PIJIP faculty perform scholarship and advise governmental, intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations on the potential use of and limits on intellectual property protections (including trademarks, geographic indications, copyright, and disclosure of origin and access and benefit sharing requirements) in order to protect indigenous rights to produce and profit from their cultural, genetic, and other resources.

Developed-country governments are working to toughen IP enforcement beyond the level required by the TRIPS Agreement. At the domestic and international levels, policymakers seek to enhance the power of law enforcement, mandate cooperation from ISPs, and stiffen criminal and civil penalties against IP users.

This page is a compilation of other resources for students researching intellectual property laws and policies. It contains links to the websites for US government agencies, inter-governmental and international organizations, civil society groups, industry trade associations, pro bono organizations, and relevant blogs.