Thursday 29 June 2017

New Book | Patent Politics: Life Forms, Markets, and the Public Interest in the United States and Europe | by Shobita Parthasarathy

Patent Politics: Life Forms, Markets, and the Public Interest in the United States and Europe
by Shobita Parthasarathy, University of Chicago Press, 2017, 304 pages, ISBN: 9780226437859. 

Summary: Over the past thirty years, the world's patent systems have experienced pressure from civil society like never before. From farmers to patient advocates, new voices are arguing that patents impact public health, economic inequality, morality—and democracy. These challenges, to domains that we usually consider technical and legal, may seem surprising. But in Patent Politics, Shobita Parthasarathy argues that patent systems have always been deeply political and social.
To demonstrate this, Parthasarathy takes readers through a particularly fierce and prolonged set of controversies over patents on life forms linked to important advances in biology and agriculture and potentially life-saving medicines. Comparing battles over patents on animals, human embryonic stem cells, human genes, and plants in the United States and Europe, she shows how political culture, ideology, and history shape patent system politics. Clashes over whose voices and which values matter in the patent system, as well as what counts as knowledge and whose expertise is important, look quite different in these two places. And through these debates, the United States and Europe are developing very different approaches to patent and innovation governance. Not just the first comprehensive look at the controversies swirling around biotechnology patents, Patent Politics is also the first in-depth analysis of the political underpinnings and implications of modern patent systems, and provides a timely analysis of how we can reform these systems around the world to maximize the public interest.

Table of Contents
Introduction
Chapter One: Defining the Public Interest in the US and European Patent Systems
Chapter Two: Confronting the Questions of Life-Form Patentability
Chapter Three: Commodification, Animal Dignity, and Patent-System Publics
Chapter Four: Forging New Patent Politics Through the Human Embryonic Stem Cell Debates
Chapter Five: Human Genes, Plants, and the Distributive Implications of Patents
Conclusion
Appendix 1: Major Events Related to the US and European Life-Form Patent Controversies
Appendix 2: Methodological Note


Thursday 1 June 2017

"Awareness Programme on Indian Foreign Policy", Indian Council of World Affairs announces the second edition of ICWA Essay Competition 2017

"Awareness Programme on Indian Foreign Policy"
Indian Council of World Affairs organizes the ICWA Essay Competition  2017 

As part of its 'Awareness Programme on Indian Foreign Policy', Indian Council of World Affairs announces the second edition of ICWA Essay Competition for school students (15-18 years) and undergraduate/ post graduate students (18-25 Years).

Topics: The young writers this year have the opportunity to demonstrate their innovative thinking on the following topic:

Junior Level (15-18 years)
  • a) What India's Foreign Policy means to Young India/ India's Foreign Policy Priorities for the Youth – (1500 words).
Senior Level (18-25 years)
  • b) Conflict, Religion and Foreign Policy (2500 words).

Eligibility Criteria: The participants must be an enrolled student in a School or graduate/post graduate degree program in a College/University from anywhere across India.

Essay Submission Date & Requirements:
  • All Essays (soft copy only) should be sent to essayicwa@gmail.com latest by 30th July 2017.
  • The entries should be submitted along with a certificate from School/Institute/College/University where the participant is currently enrolled.
  • The entries should include a separate cover page carrying the following personal information: 1)Name, 2)Father/Mother Name, 3) Class/Programme, 4) Name and Address of School/College/ University, 5) Residence Address, 6) Mobile & Landline Numbers and 7) Email Address.
Kindly Note: No personal information should be provided on the Essay sheet. The essay can be written in English or Hindi.

Awards:
  • Junior Level: (1st prize – Rs 15000), (2nd prize- Rs 10000) & (3rd prize-Rs 5000)
  • Senior level: ( 1st prize – Rs 25000), (2nd prize- Rs 15000) & (3rd prize-Rs 10000)