Regional Intellectual Property Integration in Developed and Developing Countries: The case of the European Patent Office (EPO) and the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI) Patent Systems

Thesis (M.A.) from the year 2018 in the subject Law - European and International Law, Intellectual Properties, grade: 14/18, Technical University of Munich (Munich Intellectual Property Law Center), course: Intellectual Property and Competition Law, language: English, abstract: This thesis is based on the topic Regional intellectual property integration in developed and developing countries: the cases of the European Patent Office (EPO) and the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI) patent systems, begins by examining the foundation and development of the patent system as well as efforts made at the international level to harmonize patent legislations, as the regulation of patents remains the sovereign rights of states. The work introduces the Paris Convention of 1883, (which set the minimum standards especially the principles of national treatment, territoriality, and the right of priority); the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), 1970, which provides a possibility for one to apply for patents in to up to 152 countries, through a single international patent application; the Agreement on Trade-Related Related Aspects of Intellectual Property (TRIPS) 1995, which is noted for its principle of ¿Most Favoured Nation¿, and its provision of a mechanism for bringing an action at the WTO against any contracting state that does not comply with its provisions.