Intellectual Property and Human Rights: A Taxonomy of Their Interactions

The present work offers a taxonomy that organizes the interactions between human rights and intellectual property. Three main patterns of interaction occur between the two sets of rights: “Recognition” takes place when the law elevates intellectual property to the ranking of human rights, “conflict” when intellectual property and human rights interfere with each other and “cooperation” when they operate synergistically. While these three broad categories are known to commentators, the research further divides them into several subcategories. Each of them shows unique characteristics and features, which are validated through empirical data. This leads to a taxonomy with multiple levels of complexity which better conceptualizes the multiple interactions between intellectual property and human rights, and expands our understanding of the relationship between the two systems.

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Notes

At least six edited books have been published in the last 15 years on the topic: Griffiths and Suthersanen (2005); Sinjela (2007); Grosheide (2010); Helfer and Austin (2011); Geiger (2015a, b); and Torremans (2015). Among the published monographs, Sakulin (2011) has authored one on trademarks and free speech, and Netanel (2008) one on copyright and freedom of expression. The list of journal contributions on the topic is endless.

See Additional Protocol to the American Convention on Human Rights in the Area of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights – “Protocol of San Salvador”, Art. 14 (1988).

Constitution of Bhutan, Art. 7(13) (2008); Constitution of Burundi, Art. 58 (2005); Constitution of Congo, Art. 29 (2002); Constitution of Croatia, Art. 69 (1990).

High Commission on Human Rights (2001), pp. 16–19; Derclaye (2010), p. 140; Papadopoulou (2011), p. 273.

High Commissioner (2001), p. 26; Grover (2009); Helfer and Austin (2011), p. 56; Shaheed (2014), p. 3; Papadopoulou (2011), p. 262.

ECOSOC (2002), Resolution 2000/7 UN Doc. E/CN.4/Sub.2/RES/2000/7; Commission on Human Rights (2003); Commission on Human Rights (2002).

Hugenholtz (2000); Helfer and Austin (2011), pp. 34–65, Nwauche (2016); Sganga (2015), p. 560. Among many, specifically on the conflict between health and IP, see Roffe et al. (2005); Deere (2008); Yamane (2011).

See, for instance, Sub-Commission on Promotion and Protection of Human Rights (2000), Resolution 2000/7 UN Doc. E/CN.4/Sub.2/RES/2000/7.

High Commission on Human Rights (2001), p. 14; Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (2001), pp. 5–6; Torremans (2015), p. 226; Heins (2007), p. 228; Austin (2018), p. 220; Carpenter (2012), p. 312; Sganga (2015), p. 569; Shaver (2010), pp. 133–134.

Shaheed (2015), pp. 9–10; Yu (2007a, b), pp. 722–725; Yu (2015), p. 461; Janewa Osei Tutu (2015), p. 19.

E.g. Constitution of Belarus, Art. 51 (1991); Constitution of Colombia, Art. 61 (1991); Constitution of Kenya, Art. 69 (2010); Constitution of Kyrgyzstan, Art. 49 (2010); European Charter on Fundamental Freedoms, Art. 17(2) (2000).

E.g. Constitution of Costa Rica, Art. 47 (1949); Constitution of Montenegro, Art. 76 (2007); Constitution of Panama, Art. 53 (1972); Constitution of Paraguay, Art. 110 (1992); Constitution of Peru, Art. 2(8) (1993); Constitution of the Philippines, Art. 14 (1987).

E.g. Constitution of Sweden, Art. 16 (1974); Constitution of Lithuania, Art. 42 (1992); Constitution of Albania, Art. 58 (2008); Constitution of Algeria, Art. 38 (2016); Constitution of Portugal, Art. 42(2) (1976).

See Constitution of Bulgaria, Art. 54(3) (1991); Constitution of Estonia, Art. 39 (1992); Constitution of Latvia, Art. 113 (1998); Constitution of Slovakia, Art. 43(1) (1992); Constitution of Slovenia, Art. 60 (1991); Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union, Art. 17(2) (2000).

This is particularly frequent in the constitutions of South-East Asia, e.g. Laos (1991); Thailand (1997); Viet Nam (2013).

See Constitution of Armenia, Art. 60(7) (2015); Constitution of El Salvador, Art. 103(2) (1983); Constitution of Tunisia, Art. 41(2) (2014); UK Human Rights Act, Protocol 1 (1998); Constitution of Fiji, Art. 163 (2013); Constitution of Nepal, Art. 25 (2015).

See Constitution of Azerbaijan, Art. 30 (2009); Constitution of Brazil, Art. 5(27) (1988); Constitution of Chile, Art. 19(25) (1981); Constitution of Colombia, Art. 61 (1991); Constitution of Panama, Art. 53 (1972).

E.g. 2017/172 and 2018/32 K, Constitutional Court of the Republic of Turkey (2018); Germania 3: Ghosts at the Dead Man, Constitutional Court of Germany (1996); B1080/93, Constitutional Court of Austria (1993); Laserdisken Aps v. Kulturministeriet, C-479/04, CJEU (2007); Promusicae v. Telefonica de España SAU, C-275/06, CJEU (2008); Palamara-Iribarne v. Chile, Intra-American Court of Human Rights, at 102 (2005).

Beyeler v. Italy, App. No. 33202/96, ECtHR, at 100 (2000); Matos and Silva Lda. v. Portugal, App. No. 15777/89, ECtHR, at 75 (1996); Former King of Greece v. Greece, App. No. 25701/94, at 60 (2000); Tsirikakis v. Greece, App. No. 46355/99, at 53 (2002); Forrer-Niedenthal v. Germany, App. No. 47316/99, ECtHR, at 32 (2003); Broniowski v. Poland, App. No. 31443/96, ECtHR, at 129 (2004); Öneryildiz v. Turkey, App. No. 48939/99, ECtHR, at 124 (2004).

Helfer and Austin (2011), pp. 316–63; Foster (2015), pp. 335–366; Papadopoulou (2011), p. 276. See the German Constitutional Court in Kirchen und Schulgebrauch, GRUR 481 (1972).

Shaheed (2015); Shaver (2010); Helfer and Austin (2011), p. 33; Yu (2016), pp. 77–78; Sganga (2015), pp. 560–576; Brown and Waelde (2015), pp. 577–602.

Helfer and Austin (2011), pp. 364–430; Chiarolla (2015), pp. 521–543; Wager and Watal (2015), pp. 164–168.

Geiger and Izyumenko (2014), pp. 317–318; Izyumenko (2016), p. 116; Rosen (2007), p. 356; Kur (2011), p. 209.

See TRIPs Agreement, Art. 13 (1994); Rome Convention, Art. 15 (1961); Title II, Directive 2019/970 EU.

Spiegel Online GmbH v. Volker Beck, C-516/17, CJEU, at 54 (2019); Technische Universität Darmstadt v. Eugen Ulmer KG, C-117/13, CJEU, at 43 (2014); Deckmyn, C-201/13, CJEU, at 26 (2014).

General Comment No. 17, 20–23; Grosse Ruse-Khan (2015a, b), pp. 185–186; Christoffersen (2015), pp. 19–37.

SK 19/16, Constitutional Court of Poland (2018); 2017/172 and 2018/32 K, Constitutional Court of the Republic of Turkey (2018).

Lili Marlene, German Federal Supreme Court, GRUR 34 (1985); CB-Infobank, German Federal Supreme Court, GRUR 464 (1997); Lila Postkarte, German Federal Court of Justice (2005); Germania 3: Ghosts at the Dead Man (1996), in: Adeney and Antons (2013).

Painer C-145/10, CJEU (2013); Deckmyn v. Vandersteen, C-201/13, CJEU (2014); Funke Medien NRW GmbH, C-469/17, CJEU (2019); Spiegel Online GmbH v. Volker Beck, C-516/17, CJEU (2019).

Promusicae v. Telefonica de España SAU, C-275/06, CJEU (2008); Scarlet Extended v. Sabam, C-70/10, CJEU (2011); Bonnier Audio AB and others v. Perfect Communications Sweden, C-461/10, CJEU (2012); UPC Telekabel Wien GmbH v. Constantin Film Verleih GmbH, Case C-314/12, CJEU (2014).

Österreichischer Rundfunk v. Austria, ibid., at 66 (2006); News Verlags GmbH and Co. GK v. Austria, App. No. 31457/96, ECtHR, at 54 (2000).

Österreichischer Rundfunk v. Austria, ibid., at 65–73 (2006); News Verlags GmbH and Co. GK v. Austria, App. No. 31457/96, ECtHR, at 54–55 (2000); VerlagsGruppe News GmbH v. Austria, App. No. 10520/02, ECtHR, at 36–40 (2006).

Chiemsee Windsurfing Chiemsee Produktions v. Boots, Joined cases C-108/97 and C-109/97, CJEU, at 25 (1999); Senftleben (2015), pp. 354–355; von Kapff (2015), p. 301.

E.g. EUIPO (2017) “Guidelines for Examination of European Union Trademarks”, Part B, Sect. 4, Chapter 7, at 2.1.

Case No. 952, Constitutional Court of Venezuela (2000); Primera Sala, 1917/2008 Mexican Supreme Court (2009).

High Commission on Human Rights (2001), at 31; UN Special Rapporteur on the Right of Everyone to the Enjoyment of the Highest Attainable Standard of Physical and Mental Health (2008), at 25.

Decision C-871-10, Constitutional Court of Colombia (2010); 451/2019, Supreme Court of the Netherlands (2019). See also Rigamonti (2006), p. 366.

Strohal v. Austria, 20871/1992 ECmHR (1994); Kazakov v. Russia, App. No. 1758/02 ECtHR (2009); Gillberg v. Sweden, App. No. 41723/06 ECtHR (2012).

Efag Trade Mark Company GmbH & Co. KG (Ficken) v. OHIM, T-52/13, EGC, at 40 (2013); Efag Trade Mark Company GmbH & Co. KG (Ficken Liquors) v. OHIM, T-52/13, EGC, at 44 (2013).

Screw you, R 495/2005-G, EUIPO BoA, at 15 (2006); Paki, T-R 1805/2007-1, EUIPO BoA, at 17 (2009); Coat of Arms of the Soviet Union, R 1509/2008-2, EUIPO BoA, at 33 (2010).

Basic Trade Mark SA’s Application, ETMR 24 (2006); Scranage’s Application, ETMR 43 (2008); xJack Schitt Limited’s Application, O-066-11 (2011); French Connection Limited’s Application, ETMR 8, at 60 (2007).

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Authors and Affiliations

1. International Intellectual Property Commercialization Council, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR Gabriele Spina Alì

1. Gabriele Spina Alì