On 9th June 2023, Dr Opeyemi Kolawole, a post-doctoral researcher on the PatentInHumans project, presented a research paper titled “Rethinking Technology Transfer in the TRIPS Agreement: A Proposal for Reform” at the Planting Seeds for the Future of Intellectual Property Law Conference – A Conference in honour of Margaret Llewelyn, which was hosted by the School of Law, Sheffield University between June 8 – 9 2023.
The research paper, which derives from Dr Kolawole’s doctoral research project completed at Sutherland School of Law, University College Dublin, under the supervision of Dr Cliona Kelly, examined the technology transfer framework in the TRIPS Agreement, particularly Article 66.2, which focuses on technology transfer to Least Developed Countries. The paper argued that the current overreliance on an “incentive-based” framework in Article 66.2 is problematic and should be reviewed. The paper makes novel proposals around several alternative options, including a financial mechanism framework.