In the context of the lecture series “(Re)thinking Intellectual Property, Fundamental Questions and New Perspectives”, the CEIPI has the pleasure of welcoming on WednesdayFebruary the 6th 2019 at 6 pm, Strasbourg, Building l’Escarpe, 11 rue du Maréchal Juin, auditorium 23, Sapna Kumar, Law Foundation Professor of Law at the University of Houston Law Center, co-director of the Institute for Intellectual Property and Information Law, United States and Visiting researcher at CEIPI.
The public lecture will focus on the topic: “Advancing Nationalism Through Patent Rights”. The debate will be animated by Prof. Christophe Geiger, Director General of CEIPI.
Brief CV:
Sapna Kumar is a Law Foundation Professor of Law at the University of Houston Law Center and is a co-director of the Institute for Intellectual Property and Information Law. She teaches and writes in the areas of patent law, administrative law, and international intellectual property. Professor Kumar is a 2018-2019 recipient of the Fulbright-Schuman Innovation Grant, awarded for the project "Promoting Innovation Through Patent Unification: A Transatlantic Comparison."For this grant, she will spend Spring 2019 researching at the University of Strasbourg's Center for International Intellectual Property Studies (CEIPI) and the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition.
Abstract:
In the past few years, a global wave of nationalism has arrived. World leaders have sought to elevate the interests of their respective countries above all others, promising to take control against foreign influences that are blamed for decline. Shifts in national identity have brought about economic policies that reinforce strong sovereignty and nativism. Although much has been written on the changing landscape of national identity and nationalism, little attention has been paid on how this impacts patent law. This presentation explores how governments use patents as a tool for promoting a nationalistic agenda. It will examine how countries can alter domestic patent rights and use international trade to reinforce national identity. Using the United States as an example, the presentation will discuss how a country’s approach to patent protection can change based on evolving nationalistic views.
