Every two years, the International Chamber of Commerce publishes its “Intellectual Property Roadmap“. The 2012 vintage is now available. The aim of this biannual exercise is to list the current intellectual property issues for business. But as the subtitle of the IP roadmap indicates, this list is also for policymakers. The ICC roadmap thus offers a good overview of what is of concern to industry — it also shows what are the hot policy issues for which the business community is ready to engage with policymakers. The focus of the lobbying efforts by businesses is thus encapsulated in this document.
To have a good understanding about the debates around IP in the international context, it is indispensable to compare the business view with the views expressed by what could be called the “civil society”, in particular the consumers (see for instance the IP Policy Committee blog of the Trans Atlantic Consumer Dialogue or TACD))
It would be good for you:
1. To summarize the main trends and issues for business on the basis of the 2012 ICC Roadmap;
2. To compare the list of issues prepared in 2012 with the prior roadmap of 2010 so as to see what remains of concern to industry and what is new;
3. To compare these issues with the concerns expressed by groups from the civil society.
This exercise aims at identifying the most debated issues in the field of IP. We will address some of those issues during the IP course. Good work!
