International licensing and the strengthening of intellectual property rights in developing countries during the 1990s

Global intellectual property reform has been underway since the early 1990s (Box 1). With respect to international trade, a central pillar of the reform is the World Trade Organisation’s Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights Agreement (TRIPS) that came into effect on 1 January 1995. Clearly, a strengthening of intellectual property laws worldwide can benefit those in industrialised nations who own most of the intellectual properties (e.g. copyrights on books, music, and software, patent rights on inventions, and trademark rights on business symbols and names).....

Technology Transfer and the Economic Implications of the Strengthening of Intellectual Property Rights in Developing Countries

This paper presents an empirical analysis of the influence of the strength of intellectual property rights (IPRs) on technology transfer to developing nations. The core contribution is to use regression analysis to examine the relationship between various measures of technology transfer and a set of indexes that quantify the strength of IPRs based on laws on the books, while controlling for other factors. For this purpose, the authors have assembled a data set covering a broad international panel of countries for an expanded time frame (1990-2005) in comparison with previous studies on IPRs by the Trade and Agriculture Directorate. Regression analysis is also used to assess the relationship between measures of local innovation and the IPR indexes. The study employs case study analysis of select countries - namely the BRIC countries (Brazil, Russia, India, and China) - to complement the statistical analysis.trade, technology transfer, investment, development, intellectual property rights

International Licensing and the Strengthening of Intellectual Property Rights in Developing Countries

This study presents an empirical analysis of the extent to which stronger intellectual property rights promote international technology transfer through licensing activities. The analysis focuses on licensing activities of U.S. multinationals as well as on international licensing alliances between firms in developing and developed nations. Both aggregate level data and firm level data are examined. The study provides general support for the proposition that the strengthening of intellectual property rights - as measured by selected indicators - has had a net positive effect on technology transfer via licensing during the 1990s. The general implication of this study for developing economies is that IPR reform should be one part of a general strategy for promoting economic development in combination with other complementary policy reforms. In particular, patent rights and effective enforcement can be instrumental in enabling firms in developing nations to access and exploit technologies and know-how through licensing agreements with parties in developed nations. Overall, the analysis presented here indicates that where developing countries have moved to address weaknesses in these areas in recent years, they have tended to experience enhanced access to technology through licensing.economic development, licensing, intellectual property rights

Licences internationales et renforcement des droits de propriété intellectuelle dans les pays en développement

Le présent document étudie de manière empirique l’influence que peut exercer une meilleure protection des droits de propriété intellectuelle (DPI) sur le transfert international de technologie par l’intermédiaire de la concession de licences. L’analyse est centrée sur les activités des multinationales des États-Unis en matière de licences ainsi que sur les alliances internationales entre pays développés et en développement dans ce domaine. Elle utilise à la fois des données agrégées et des données au niveau des entreprises. L’étude fournit des éléments généraux d’appui à l’idée que le renforcement des droits de propriété intellectuelle – mesuré par des indicateurs choisis – a eu un effet net positif sur le transfert de technologies au moyen de licences pendant les années 90. Elle montre que, pour les économies en développement, la réforme des DPI doit faire partie d’une stratégie générale de promotion du développement économique, en association avec d’autres réformes complémentaires. En particulier, les droits de brevet et l’efficacité de leur mise en œuvre sont déterminants pour permettre aux entreprises des pays en développement d’accéder aux technologies et au savoir-faire et de les exploiter dans le cadre d’accords de concession de licence avec des parties des pays développés. Dans l’ensemble, cette analyse indique que les pays en développement qui ont cherché à remédier aux faiblesses rencontrées dans ces domaines ces dernières années ont généralement amélioré leur accès aux technologies au moyen des licences.développement économique, droit de propriété intellectuelle, licence

Antisense oligonucleotides for ICAM 1 attenuate reperfusion injury and renal failure in the rat

The leukocyte adhesion molecule ICAM-1 is implicated in ischemic renal reperfusion injury. We tested the utility of an ICAM-1 antisense oligodeoxyribonucleotide (ODN) with lipofectin, six hours prior to 30 minutes of bilateral renal ischemia in the rat. We measured ICAM-1 expression by immunohistochemistry and Western blot. Our antisense ODN showed a specific ICAM-1 surface expression inhibition in vitro. We then assessed ICAM-1 expression, leukocyte infiltration, serum creatinine, serum urea concentration, and renal histology in rats subjected to renal ischemia and controls. Serum creatinine and urea concentrations 12 and 24 hours post-ischemia were increased in saline treated and reverse ODN treated rats, compared to antisense ODN treated or sham operated rats (P < 0.05). Western blotting showed decreased ICAM-1 protein in antisense ODN-treated kidneys, compared to reverse ODN treated and saline treated ischemic controls (P < 0.05). Antisense ODN also ameliorated the ischemia-induced infiltration of granulocytes and macrophages (P < 0.05), and resulted in less cortical renal damage as assessed by a quantitative pathological grading scale (P < 0.05), compared to reverse ODN or saline treatment. Thus, antisense ODN for ICAM-1 protected the kidney against ischemic renal failure. The clinical applicability of these findings extends beyond ischemic acute renal failure

ICAM-1 antisense oligodesoxynucleotides prevent reperfusion injury and enhance immediate graft function in renal transplantation

BACKGROUND: Ischemia-reperfusion injury after organ transplantation is a major cause of delayed graft function. We showed earlier that antisense oligodesoxynucleotides (ODN) for intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) ameliorate reperfusion injury after acute ischemia. This study tested the hypothesis that antisense ODN for ICAM-1 prevents ischemia-reperfusion injury and facilitates immediate graft function in a rat autotransplantation model. METHODS: Both kidneys were removed from male Lewis rats and re-implanted the left kidney after 30 minutes of cold ischemia time. The warm ischemia time was 60 minutes. Sham operated, uninephrectomized animals served as controls for renal function and histology. ICAM-1 antisense ODN (5 mg/kg), reverse ODN, or saline-vehicle were administered to donor animals i.v. six hours before autotransplantation. Glomerular filtration rate (insulin clearance), and serum creatinine concentrations were measured 24 hours post-transplantation. Tubular necrosis severity was assessed by histological grading scale. ICAM-1 expression was determined by immunohistochemistry and Western blot. RESULTS: Antisense ODN decreased ICAM-1 expression and leukocyte infiltration significant. Antisense ODN-treated animals showed significantly less tubular necrosis, than controls. Serum creatinine of antisense ODN-treated animals (N = 6) was 0.55 +/- 0.02 mg/dl compared to 1.92 +/- 0.07 mg/dl in reverse ODN-treated controls (N = 6; P < 0.01), 24 hours after transplantation. Antisense ODN-treated animals had normal GFR (0.93 +/- 0.07 ml/min/kidney wt) compared to sham-operated animals (0.95 +/- 0.09 ml/min/kidney wt), while autotransplanted animals treated with reverse ODN or saline-vehicle were all anuric. The ischemia-reperfusion-induced up-regulation of MHC class II was totally prevented by antisense ODN. CONCLUSIONS: ICAM-1 inhibition ameliorates ischemia-reperfusion injury and prevents delayed graft function. Antisense ODN-treatment of donors or donor organs for ICAM-1 may be useful for the prevention of reperfusion injury in human renal transplantation