TRP505: Legal and Economic Aspects of Intellectual Property and Competition Policy

Intellectual Property rights are of utmost importance for economic activities as they define and provide investors and agents with protection for their achievements in terms of various non-tangible assets. In relation to international business, trade and investments, this is of particular importance since the possibilities to direct control by the owner of the assets are more difficult. The competencies in LDCs and other Low Income Countries in this area are minimal. This course targets persons that will be working in trade Ministries, Registrar of Intellectual Property and related Institution with a view to building capacity in both economic and legal aspects of intellectual property rights. It is expected that at the end of the course students will acquire both a practical and theoretical appreciation for intellectual property protection.

The objective of this module is to adequately expose and orient the student to the rationale, regulatory framework and contentious issues in the area of intellectual property policy and law. At the end of the module, the student will be expected to:

1. Demonstrate an understanding of the rationale behind protection of IP.
2. Analyse implications of the TRIPS Agreement on their domestic IP regulatory frameworks.
3. Discuss and apply the various approaches to valuation of intellectual property.
4. Demonstrate an understanding of the key intellectual property rights, their essentially elements and how they can be enforced.