The Paris Convention for the Protection of Industrial Property A Commentary

Written by a recognised leader in the field, this work provides the only specialised commentary on the Paris Convention and its associated agreements. Professor Ricketson discusses the origins of the agreement, giving an overview of early debates about patent protection, before outlining the negotiations that led to the initial adoption of the Convention. He outlines the subsequent revisions of the Convention, and gives an overview of the present scope of the Convention, including the gradual expansion to include trade marks, designs and other industrial property titles, and its incorporation into the WTO through the TRIPS agreement. The work explores a number of themes, including the broader significance of the agreement in relation to WIPO, the future significance of the Convention in the post-TRIPS environment, and why the Paris Convention has been less successful than its Berne counterpart. A comprehensive overview of a key treaty, this work is essential reading for intellectual property policy makers, legal practitioners, and academics.

1 - Beginnings
2 - Moves Towards International Protection
3 - Establishment of the Paris Union
4 - The Paris Union: A Work in Progress
5 - The Situation Post-Stockholm: "Forty Years on, Growing Older and Older"
6 - Public International Law Questions: Interpretation and Application of the Paris Convention and Associated Agreements
7 - The Paris Union and its Structure
8 - Membership and Extent of the Paris Union - the Final Clauses of the Convention
9 - Organizing Principles of the Paris Convention
10 - Patents and Utility Models
11 - Industrial Designs
12 - Trademarks and Trade Names
13 - False Indications of Source, Unfair Competition, Trade Secrets and Appellations of Origin
14 - National Industrial Property Services and Official Periodical Journals
15 - The Paris Convention and the Future

Sam Ricketson is a Professor of Law at the University of Melbourne. He has written, taught and advised widely in all areas of intellectual property law (copyright and designs, patents, trade marks and unfair competition, and breach of confidence), conflicts of law, trade practices and corporate law.