From food security to climate change and access to medicines, intellectual property (IP) has become a cross cutting issue with important public policy implications. As a result global IP negotiations have significantly gained in complexity. Countries, particularly developing ones, are faced with numerous challenges such as coalition building, articulating coherent national positions to address complex issues and coordinating these positions across different forums. How do countries achieve this? What are the practical difficulties facing country negotiators in global IP negotiations?
On the other hand, academics and experts play and can play an important role in providing empirical research and inputs to better inform global IP negotiations. In this context, how can IP teachers, particularly from developing countries, contribute towards addressing the most salient issues and challenges facing global IP negotiations and the achievement of a more balanced and development friendly global IP system?
These are some of the questions that are to be raised in this dialogue which brings together a group of IP teachers with a group of Geneva based IP negotiators.