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Before we can understand how intellectual property policies impact sustainable development, we need to define what those terms mean, and then appreciate the global governance structures through which relevant laws and policies are formulated. So, after appropriate personal introductions and an overview of the course substance and logistics, we're going to delve into some basic discussion of development, principles of international law, intellectual property systems and key organizations in this field.

In this lesson, we'll talk about how patents could facilitate or restrict the transfer of clean energy technologies to developing countries. We'll elaborate on the global IP governance architecture that we began dissecting during our first class, focussing especially on TRIPs. Then we'll tie that into the international framework around climate change, and see how these intersect. Compulsory licensing is one blunt instrument being talked about to facilitate technology transfer. We'll conclude by considering issues related to indigenous peoples' traditional ecological knowledge.

In this lesson, we evaluate strategies to equitably allocate the benefits of the world's biodiversity (i.e. "life on earth"), most of which is concentrated in developing countries. The Convention on Biological Diversity includes provisions on "access and benefit sharing" (or ABS for short), which led to the recent Nagoya Protocol. The issue of "liability and redress" for potential harms caused by living modified organisms (LMOs) are dealt with in the Cartegena Protocol on Biosafety and the most Nagoya - Kuala Lumpur Supplementary Protocol. We'll review the texts of these international legal instruments closely during class.

Agricultural biotechnologies have the potential to make people's lives better. Crops can be genetically modified to enhance yield, resist drought, boost nutrients or increase efficiency. But there's enormous controversy over the economic, environmental, ethical, legal and social issues triggered by these technologies. How, if at all, should they be regulated? Our focus in this lesson will be on agbiotech patents. What rights do transgenic plant patent owners have, and what is the impact of plant patents on farmers' rights? How is technology changing the game?