A Trick of the (Virtual) Trade: a study on the challenges posed by cross-border e-commerce for national patent systems
Keywords:
Patents, Infringement, Transnational, E-Commerce, International CommerceAbstract
The rise of cross-border e-commerce creates a worldwide marketplace accessible to all – businesses and consumers alike. The international reach of electronic commerce provides unique challenges to patent owners, as infringing activity is enabled to occur transnationally, while innovators must rely on patent systems which are geographically confined. From the alluded context, this study aims to explore the challenges posed by transnational e-commerce to patent owners’ rights and evaluate some of the most pressing issues towards curtailing cross-border infringement. Through the literature review conducted herein, results point to the fact that the difficulties associated with adjudicating infringement in a cross-border setting have led national judges to find “creative” solutions to the transnational infringement problem. The conclusions taken from this study suggest that the current commercial paradigm calls for a rethinking of the “nationally confined” nature of patent systems.
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