Professor Sir Robin Jacob invited to speak at WIPO-WTO Education Colloquium

Professor Sir Robin Jacob, Sir Hugh Laddie Professor of Intellectual Property Law at UCL Laws, was invited to Geneva to speak at the WIPO-WTO Colloquium for IP Teachers held between 7 and 11 November. This is an annual event which is organised jointly by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO) for university teachers of intellectual property (IP) law from developing countries and countries with economies in transition.

Each year, the Colloquium focuses on a different range of specialised IP topics with sessions led by expert lecturers from WIPO, WTO and other organisations, including renowned universities from around the world. The event aims to provide university teachers with the opportunity to improve their IP knowledge and skills, thereby enabling them to support their countries’ independent IP research, policy analysis and teaching. This year’s delegates, attending from 28 different countries, enjoyed a welcome address by Anabel Gonzalez, Deputy Director General of WTO and Hasan Kleib, Deputy Director General of WIPO.

Professor Sir Robin Jacob, Director of the UCL Institute of Brand and Innovation Law spoke to the WTO/WIPO meeting about the role of the courts, patents, and medicines and calls for a Covid waiver. He joined the panel discussion on IP and Public Health. Additionally, at the WTO, he spoke to an informal meeting of WTO staff about current topics, including standard essential patents (SEPs), medicine/vaccine patents, and compulsory licensing.