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18 - Intellectual Property, Human Rights, and Public–Private Partnerships

from Part IV - Governance and Institutional Design Perspectives

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 September 2018

Margaret Chon
Affiliation:
Seattle University School of Law
Pedro Roffe
Affiliation:
International Center for Trade and Sustainable Development
Ahmed Abdel-Latif
Affiliation:
International Renewable Energy Agency, Abu Dhabi
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Summary

This chapter focuses on the roles and responsibilities of intellectual property-related public-private partnerships (PPPs) in the international human rights regime. It begins by debunking two key claims transnational corporations have advanced in the area intersecting intellectual property and human rights. The chapter examines the "protect, respect, and remedy" framework and the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which John Ruggie presented to the United Nations Human Rights Council in his capacity as the United Nations Secretary-General's Special Representative on the Issue of Human Rights and Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises. It further explains why these partnerships should assume greater human rights responsibilities than transnational corporations. This chapter concludes with three specific examples illustrating how PPPs can be utilized to foster a more appropriate balance between intellectual property and human rights. It also underscores the need to proactively develop PPPs for human rights in the intellectual property arena.
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