The overall objective of this study is to promote the human rights to health of Nigerian women to have access essential medicines, to enhance their human capabilities for human development. This thesis argues for an improvement of women’s access to medicines within the context of patent law and rights in the international IP regime of the Trade Related Aspect of Intellectual Property (TRIPS) Agreement and Nigeria’s national patent system. Towards this goal, the thesis makes the point that patent law and its exclusive rights, both the TRIPS Agreement and national law of Nigeria, do not exist in a social welfare vacuum. The legal text of patent law, which confers rights on inventors when enforced, translates to many other things outside the sphere of property rights; indeed, it can be a matter of life and death. It is argued in this regard that patent right could, in effect, interfere with access to medicines and therefore, the right to health and prospects for human development. The thesis therefore argues that, in the construction, interpretation and enforcement of patent law in Nigeria, there is a need to take into consideration its impact on public health. It is against this backdrop that the research assesses the legal framework of pharmaceutical patents and the implications for women’s access to medicines, from a right to health and human development perspective. This interdisciplinary study is with a view to suggesting ways in which Nigeria’s patent system can be more human development and human rights friendly in the interest of public health, particularly, the use of the TRIPS flexibilities to enhance access to life-saving medicines in Nigeria. Since Nigeria as a member of the World Trade Organisation, is bound by its treaty obligation to adopt the provisions of the TRIPS Agreement, the thesis makes proposals for ways in which the Nigerian government and law-makers, can adapt the patent rules and the flexibilities to suit development objectives and promote public health within the benchmark allowed in TRIPS. In this respect, this thesis critically investigates the practical implications of the available flexibilities and options in the TRIPS Agreement that can be used to address the effects of patents on access to medicines. While this thesis concedes the view that the hindrances to accessibility of essential drugs in Nigeria are multi-faceted and demand a multi-dimensional approach for a lasting solution, it is specifically argued that the TRIPS flexibilities are significant means for addressing the challenges of affordable access to important health treatments within the context of patent law. However, it is emphasised that utilising the flexibilities will require that Nigeria’s patent system is strategically designed to take full advantage of the available safeguards and options. To this end, this study recommends ways to incorporate the flexibilities to enhance access to medicines in Nigeria while avoiding the technical and regulatory pitfalls that have trailed the enforcement of the flexibilities by other developing countries.

This thesis studies the influence of US Supreme Court judgement in Feist Publications Inc. v. Rural Telephone Service Co on Directive 96/9/EC. It primarily looks at the implications of Feist decision, and the influence that it had on European legislation. The decision in Feist Publications led the Commission to believe two things: Feist created a new-line of jurisprudence in US in the context of copyright protection of factual databases, and the decision will be detrimental for future production of electronic databases. This thesis shows that the Feist decision was a clarification of existing copyright law. As an example, the thesis observes that the US database market did not react to any apprehended negative impact of Feist. In the US, where there was no specific Database Right, Feist has had negligible practical and doctrinal impact. The Feist decision also left an indelible mark on the overall structure of the Database Directive. While Article 3 represented the positive impact, Article 7 was surrounded by uncertainties and ambiguities. This Article represents the outcome of apprehending negative impact of Feist. This has resulted in an imbalance which must be rectified and only a limited amount of protection should be offered to producers in absence of evidence.

Dans les Droits antérieurs à la codification de 1804, les conventions ne suffisaient pas, en principe, à constituer et à transférer les droits réels : pour atteindre ce résultat, un mode acquisitif, comme la tradition de la chose, était nécessaire. Quand ce n’était exceptionnellement pas le cas, le droit réel, qui était constitué ou transféré par la seule convention, était néanmoins constitué et transféré erga omnes. Or, à partir du code civil et des réformes législatives postérieures, il n’en va plus ainsi : le principe adopté est celui de la constitution et de la translation des droits réels sola conventione.Mais l’étude des textes législatifs et réglementaires ainsi que des opinions doctrinales du XIXe siècle révèle que le changement initié en 1804 est bien plus profond : si la convention suffit à constituer et à transférer les droits réels, ces droits ne sont constitués et transférés qu’à l’égard des parties.Ainsi, en Droit français actuel, la vente d’un bateau en transfère la propriété à l’égard du vendeur, mais non à l’égard des tiers et, en particulier, des créanciers chirographaires du vendeur ou de l’État. Tant que l’inscription de l’acte de vente n’est pas accomplie, ces tiers peuvent ignorer le transfert de la propriété causé par la vente. Dès lors, certaines questions se posent inévitablement : la vente a-t-elle réellement transféré la propriété ? Une propriété à l’égard du seul vendeur est-elle encore réellement une propriété ? De même, en Droit français actuel, une convention peut constituer une hypothèque, mais ce droit n’est pas opposable aux tiers tant que cet acte n’a pas été inscrit. Ainsi, les créanciers chirographaires du constituant peuvent ignorer le droit du créancier hypothécaire. Mais une hypothèque qui n’est pas un droit de préférence n’est-elle pas un concept absurde ? Cette thèse explique comment le législateur et la doctrine du XIXe siècle, en réduisant le mode acquisitif au titre acquisitif et en distinguant entre effet inter partes et effet extra partes, ont construit un mythe : celui des conventions constitutives et translatives de droits réels. Contrairement aux formules généralement retenues par la loi et les manuels, en Droit français actuel, les droits réels sont constitués et transférés par la convention et la tradition ou l’inscription. / The Law prior to the 1804 codification is ruled by the principle that agreements are not sufficient to establish and transfer real rights: in order to reach this result, an additional modus of acquisition, like the delivery of the thing, is required. When it is not the case, the real right, established or transferred by mere agreement, is nevertheless established and transferred erga omnes. However, since the civil code and the successive legislative reforms, the situation is no longer the same: the principle adopted is the establishment and the transference of real rights sola conventione. Nonetheless, the study of laws and regulations as well as the nineteenth century scholars’ opinions reveals that the change initiated in 1804 is much deeper: if the agreement is sufficient to establish and transfer real rights, these rights are established and transferred to the parties only. For example, in current French Law, the sale of a boat transfers its property regarding to the seller, but not towards to third parties and, in particular, not regarding to the seller’s unsecured creditors or to the State. As long as the registration of the deed of sale is not completed, these third parties may ignore the transfer of property resulting from the sale. A lot of questions can be raised: has the sale really settled a transfer of property? Is a property regarding only to the seller still really a property? Similarly, in current French Law, an agreement may establish a mortgage, but this right is not enforceable against third parties as long as this act has not been registered. Thus, the unsecured creditors of the settlor may ignore the right of the mortgagee. But does it make sense to consider a mortgage without a preference right?This thesis describes how the legislator and nineteenth century scholars, in reducing the acquisitive modus into the acquisitive titulus and in distinguishing between inter partes effect and extra partes effect, have built a myth : the one of the agreements establishing and transferring real rights. Unlike formulas generally used by law and textbooks, in current French Law, real rights are established and transferred by agreement and delivery or registration.

The thesis examines to what extent copyright holders can enforce the online reproduction and communication rights against online service providers in Egypt. The objective of the thesis is therefore to highlight that the existing Egyptian copyright law 2002/82 is insufficient to impose liability on internet service providers, both substantively and also with regards to enforcement. Various recommendations are thus made to improve the legislative framework in Egypt, all with a view of achieving that a fair balance is struck for all those parties, who/which are involved in digital communications, particularly online end users, so that their rights to online privacy and access to information are preserved. For this purpose, a comparative methodology has been adopted and recourse is made to US and European laws. This comparative approach is further complemented by a critical examination of existing deficiencies within the legislative liability regime for internet service providers in the US and Europe in order to ensure that foreign laws are not merely transplanted, but that the best and most suitable legislative framework is adopted by the Egyptian legislator.

Digitalisation and the internet have enabled ordinary individuals to make copies of copyrighted content easily, costlessly and with no degradation in terms of quality. While digital private copying is permitted in Europe under Article 5(2)(b) of Directive 2001/29/EC, it represents a major challenge to the interests of the copyright owners and a thorny issue in the context of digital copyright. Despite the fact that all EU Member States, with the exception of Ireland and the UK, have incorporated a statutory limitation for acts of private copying in their national statutes, there is legal uncertainty as to the scope of this limitation. To be permitted, the use of copyrighted content ought to be private and non-commercial; these concepts, however, do not translate well in the digital environment. For instance, one can only wonder whether facebook friends qualify as a private circle and whether downloading works for free from file-sharing networks is a non-commercial act. This thesis provides answers to these questions and determines the actual scope of the private copying limitation. Yet, perfectly lawful private uses of copyrighted content may have an aggregate impact on the interests of the rightholders in the digital environment, where these activities are more widespread. To deal with the digital impact of private copying, Directive 2001/29/EC sets forth a twofold approach; while private copying is premised on condition that the rightholders are compensated for the unauthorised uses of their works, at the same time, the application of technological protection measures is rigorously protected. We examine the efficacy of these approaches in dealing with digital private copying and their adequacy for policy reasons. This thesis concludes that, even though private copying is permissible under the set of conditions laid down by Article 5(2)(b) of Directive 2001/29/EC, its legitimate exercise is jeopardised in the digital environment due to the fact that this limitation is not mandatory. This means that the ability of end users to make private copies may be either technologically or contractually restricted. Yet, the private copying limitation is a manifestation of the fundamental right to privacy, which prevails over copyright enforcement. We therefore urge for an explicit declaration of the imperative status of the private copying limitation against technological or contractual constraints.

Les mondes virtuels multi-joueurs sont des jeux à trois dimensions. Leurs utilisateurs s’adonnent depuis plusieurs années à plusieurs activités en se transférant des objets virtuels créés ou achetés dans les mondes virtuels dont ils revendiquent la propriété. Ces objets appelés «biens virtuels» n’ont d’existence qu’en ligne et peuvent prendre n’importe quelle forme (avatars, vaisseaux spatiaux, etc.). Bien que le marché des transactions de biens virtuels représente un important impact économique, social et juridique sur l’ensemble de la consommation, ces «biens» ne sont pourtant pas juridiquement reconnus, ni protégés par la loi ou par la jurisprudence en Amérique du Nord et en Europe, seuls les contrats de licence rédigés par les développeurs régissent leurs utilisations. Or, les conflits dans ce domaine peuvent devenir très complexes, car les rencontres virtuelles donnent lieu à une grande variété d’activités et sont créatrices de liens de droit entre des internautes qui peuvent se trouver physiquement à l’autre bout de la planète pour se rencontrer virtuellement dans l’environnement du cyberespace. Ainsi, les effets dommageables de ces activités vont se manifester en dehors du réseau. Puisque dans ces cas, l’espace virtuel et l'espace matériel sont interconnectés, on se pose la question suivante : quelle est la loi applicable aux transferts de "biens virtuels"? Pour traiter d’une question litigieuse en droit international privé, il faut passer par l’étape préalable de la qualification juridique de l’objet du litige, ici les biens virtuels, afin d’être en mesure de le rattacher à un régime juridique et à la règle de conflit applicable selon ce régime. Les biens virtuels, immatériels par essence, n’existent pas réellement. Techniquement parlant ce sont des représentations graphiques de codes sources enregistrés dans le logiciel du monde virtuel. Ainsi, l’existence juridique de l’objet virtuel en tant que «bien» est controversée en droit civil, car elle dépend de la conception stricte (traditionnelle) ou élargie (moderne) que l’on adopte du droit de propriété. En admettant que les biens virtuels soient reconnus en droit des biens, les règles de conflits de lois applicables à cette matière portent beaucoup d’importance sur la situation matérielle du bien pour la localisation du rapport de droits, ce qui rend très difficile la recherche de solution des conflits de lois dans notre matière. Ainsi, l’application du principe de l’autonomie tend à s’élargir aux questions de droits réels, mais cette solution n’est pas satisfaisante pour les tiers. Dès lors, il convient de se rallier à la doctrine contemporaine qui critique la référence générale à la règle de rattachement localisatrice dans des situations nouvelles et spécifiques empreintes de difficultés de localisation afin d’appliquer préférablement le régime de propriété intellectuelle, adoptée spécifiquement pour les biens immatériels. L’application de la loi sur les droits d’auteur est plus adaptée aux biens virtuels en tant qu’oeuvre de l’esprit, parce que les droits ne se trouvent pas limités par l’inexistence de cet objet et parce que les règles de conflits propres au droit d’auteur d’origine conventionnelle permettent une protection internationale du droit d’auteur. / Multi-player virtual worlds are three-dimensional games. Over the past few years, players have been engaging in various activities involving the transfer of virtual objects that they have themselves created or purchased in these virtual worlds and over which they claim ownership. The objects, called “virtual goods”, exist only in the online world and may take any number of forms (e.g. avatars, space ships, etc.). Although the market for virtual property has important economic, social and legal impacts on consumption, these “goods” are neither recognized by the law, nor protected by North American or European legislation or jurisprudence; only the licensing contracts drafted by the developers regulate their uses. However, conflicts that arise in this domain may grow very complex since virtual interactions give rise to a great variety of activities and create legal relationships between the cybernauts who meet in the virtual environment of cyberspace although they may bephysically located on either ends of the planet. Thus, the adverse effects of these activities may manifest themselves outside of the cyber environment. Since the virtual world and the physical world are interconnected in these cases, we have to ask the following question : what law should apply to the transfer of the “virtual goods”In order to answer contentious questions that arise under private international law, one must first go through the initial step of juridically qualifying the objects in question, here the virtual goods, in order to be able to assign them to a specific legal regime and to the specific conflict of laws rules that apply under that regime. Virtual goods – inherently immaterial – do not really exist:they are graphic representations of source code embedded in the software of the virtual world. Thus, the legal characterization of the virtual objects as “property” is controversial under civil law because it depends on whether one adopts a strict (traditional) concept of property law or a more expansive (modern) concept. Even if virtual goods were to be recognized under property law, since the conflict of laws rules applicable to property law place a lot of importance on the physical location of the property in order to determine the legal attachment, this renders the search for a solution to the conflict of laws in this area very difficult. Application of the principleof contractual autonomy therefore provides greater scope in determining property rights, butthis solution may not be satisfactory to third parties. Thus, it is useful to turn to the contemporary doctrine that criticizes the general application of the rule of physical attachment to particular and novel contexts that present difficulties in determining the location of the property and instead applies the intellectual property regime which is specifically designed to deal with incorporeal goods. Copyright law is better suited to virtual goods as creations of the mind since its application is not hampered by the non-existence of the goods and because the conflict of laws rules applicable to traditional copyright lawprovide international protection for copyrights.

Le mouvement de la spécialisation du droit des biens révèle toute la richesse de cette discipline.Plus précisément, la spécialisation du droit des biens suscite de nombreux troubles et apporte de profonds enrichissements au droit commun des biens.La spécialisation du droit des biens cause de nombreux bouleversements au sein du droit commun des biens. D’une part, la métamorphose de l’objet du droit des biens se manifeste parl’inflation de nouvelles richesses notamment au travers de l’émergence de nouvelles valeurs etde nouveaux biens. D’autre part, l’étude de la spécialisation du droit des biens a conduit àconfronter logiquement ces nouvelles valeurs et ces nouveaux biens aux catégories existantes ausein du Code civil, ce qui n’a pas manqué de mettre en évidence des difficultés d’insertion dansle Code civil notamment à travers la quête ardue de modes de protection. Ce phénomène de« spécialisation du droit des biens » apparaît et se traduit parfaitement à travers le fourmillementde droits qui existe aujourd’hui à l’extérieur du Code civil. Dès lors une métaphore se dessinecelle d’un atome où une multitude d’électrons gravitent autour de leur noyau.Par ailleurs, la spécialisation du droit des biens s’affirme comme une source de régénérescencedu droit commun des biens. L’incessante confrontation entre la spécialisation du droit des bienset le droit commun des biens révèle de profondes interactions. D’une part, la spécialisation dudroit des biens va participer au renouvellement des notions de bien et de patrimoine qui irriguentle Code civil. D’autre part, la lecture de la spécialisation du droit des biens à travers le prisme dela propriété et des droits réels contenus dans le Code civil a suscité la renaissance des principesféconds posés par le Code civil qui s’avèrent transposables aux nouvelles richesses.L’articulation du « droit spécial des biens » et du droit commun des biens démontrel’extraordinaire plasticité des principes directeurs du Code civil, témoignant par là des fabuleuxressorts que concentre toujours aujourd’hui le Code civil. Le dynamisme de ce mécanismerévèle l’infinie richesse de leur collaboration.La spécialisation du droit des biens se présente tour à tour comme un mouvement comportantdes dispositions dérogatoires au droit commun mais encore des dispositions créatrices de droitcommun. / The movement of the specialization of the law of the properties reveals all the wealth of this discipline.More exactly, the specialization of the law of the properties arouses numerous disorders and brings profound enrichments to the common law of the properties.This phenomenon of « specialization of the law of the properties » appears and is perfectly translated through the swarming of rights which exists outside of the civil code today. From then on a metaphor is outlined that of an atom where a multitude of electrons revolves around their nucleus.The joint of « the special law of the properties » and of the common law of the properties demonstrates the extraordinary plasticity of the guiding principles of the civil code, showing there fabulous springs which concentrates always today the civil code.

Le consommateur d’immeuble est, ce qu’il est convenu d’appeler, un oxymore juridique. L’oxymore est une figure de rhétorique qui se définit comme le résultat d’une alliance de mots apparemment contradictoires. Derrière cette figure, apparaît l'illustration d'un jeu de relation entre le droit de la consommation et le droit immobilier. L’immeuble et le droit de la consommation entretiennent des relations fondées sur l'exclusion de l’un par l’autre. L’objet de cette étude se propose de préciser d’abord l’étendue et les modalités de cette exclusion. Il convient, ensuite, de s’attacher aux diverses causes qui sont à l’origine d’un tel rejet. L’immeuble présente une spécificité qui l’exclut de l’objet d’un rapport de consommation, et réciproquement, le rapport de consommation contient des particularités qui le différencient du contrat immobilier. Toutefois, une deuxième analyse permet de démontrer l’influence du droit de la consommation sur le statut de l’immeuble. D’une part, le logement est devenu, sous l’évolution de la société, un objet de consommation, induisant l’application d’un régime de consommation de logement spécifique. Le législateur a introduit, en matière immobilière, des dispositions d’inspiration consumériste, tout en les adaptant à la spécificité de l’immeuble. D’autre part, l'immeuble entre en contact avec le droit de la consommation. La transformation de l’immeuble en simple réserve d’argent et l’interdépendance des contrats de consommation et des contrats immobiliers apparaissent comme la confirmation de l’influence mutuelle entre le droit de la consommation et le droit immobilier. Toutefois, une telle confirmation est, sur certains aspects, nuancée. / The building consumer is, what is called, a legal oxymoron. The oxymoron is a figure of speech which is defined as the result of a combination of seemingly contradictory words. Behind this figure appears to illustrate a relationship game between consumer law and real estate law. The building and consumer law have relations based on the exclusion of one by the other. The purpose of this study is to first specify the scope and modalities of this exclusion. It is appropriate, then, to focus on the various causes that give rise to such a release. The building has a specificity that excludes the subject of a report of consumption, and vice versa, the consumer report contains features that differentiate the real estate contract. However, a second analysis can show the influence of consumer law on the status of the building. First, housing has become, in the evolution of society, an object of consumption, leading to the application of a specific housing consumption regime. The legislator introduced in real estate matters, the consumerist inspiration provisions, while adapting them to the specific nature of the building. Furthermore, the building is in contact with the consumer law. The transformation of the building in single cash reserve and interdependence of consumer contracts and real estate contracts appear as confirmation of the mutual influence between consumer law and real estate law. However, such confirmation is, in some respects, nuanced.

This thesis examines the implementation, enforcement and evolution of IP laws and regulations in the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. The period of interest includes the last decade of the twentieth century and the first decade of the twenty first century, with emphasis on the role played by Free Trade Agreements struck between Jordan and the United States, the European Union, and Jordan’s accession to the World Trade Organization. This thesis also examines the enforcement of the current set of IP laws in Jordan, and looks at their social and economic compatibility with the Jordanian societal norms and economic realities. This thesis argues that Jordanian IP laws lack a meaningful social and economic texture, and have failed to be evenly enforced in Jordan, essentially because they do not fit the Jordanian culture and are not compatible with Jordan’s economic stage of development. Additionally, the thesis argues that IP laws have had insignificant economic impact on the Jordanian economy as the majority of technologies used in Jordan, and the majority of foreign direct investments attracted to Jordan, are not IP related. Finally, the thesis argues that the current Jordanian enforcement model, which is built on coercion by donor countries, is serving the interests of foreign companies to the exclusion of the local citizens, and will not, in the long run, produce an enforcement model based on self-regulation by Jordanians, themselves. The laws, therefore, are unable to produce tangible results for the Jordanian people, or help meet their economic interests. The last part of the thesis deals with recommendations and suggestions aimed at creating an integrated approach to the adoption of IP policies.

Le régime de cession des droits sociaux applicable des entre les membres d’une même famille est certes privilégié. Mais le législateur ne prend en compte que certains d’entre eux, à savoir, les ascendants, les descendants et certains collatéraux. Pourtant, les parts sociales ou actions font parties des biens patrimoniaux de la famille. Cette mise en société sert de prétexte à une meilleure gestion du patrimoine familial, mais aussi à sa cession au sein de la famille. L’objectif souvent non avoué est la pérennisation de l’entreprise familiale au sein de la famille. Toutefois, législateur ne reconnait toujours pas tous les types de schémas familiaux contemporains. Et pour cause, la notion de famille n’est pas définie en droit. Pourtant cette définition serait bien utile pour soumettre les cessions entre proches à un régime bien spécifique. La conséquence est que la pratique des affaires a développée quantité de règles pour permettre aux associés familiaux soit de rester ensemble au sein de la société ou d’en sortir. En effet, les aléas de la vie familiale commandent les cessions. Ce sont souvent des pactes extra-statutaires qui servent de support à la cession des titres. Le problème est qu’ils n’engagent que leurs signataires. Autrement dit, les associés familiaux non signataires de ces pactes ne sont pas concernés par ceux-ci. Pourtant, ils font partie de la même société et de la même famille. Peuvent-ils pour autant élever contestation en justice ? Car à bien des égards, ces pactes sont souvent à la frontière de l’illégalité notamment celle de l’interdiction des pactes sur succession future. Alors, la liberté de cession du cédant serait-elle empêchée dans le cadre d’une société familiale ? L’élément de réponse se trouve sans doute dans la consécration du pacte de famille, un nouvel outil juridique autonome destiné à compléter efficacement les statuts de la société. / The system of transfer of the corporate holdings of the company applicable between members of the same family is certainly privileged. But the legislator only takes into account some of them namely, ascendants, descendants and some collaterals. However, shares or stocks are part of the family's patrimonial assets. This incorporation serves as a pretext for better management of the family patrimony, but also for its transfer within the family. The often unstated aim is the sustainability of the family business within the family. However, legislator still does not recognize all types of contemporary family patterns. And for good reason, the notion of family is not defined in law. Yet this definition would be very useful to submit the transfers between relatives to a specific regime. The consequence is that business practice has developed a lot of rules to allow family partners to either stay together in society or get out of it. Indeed, the vagaries of family life command shares disposal. These are often extra-statutory pacts that serve as a support for the sale of securities. The problem is that they only commit their signatories. In other words, non-signatory family members of these pacts are not affected by them. Yet they are part of the same company and the same family. Can they raise a challenge in court? Because in many ways, these pacts are often on the borderline of illegality, including the prohibition of pacts respecting a future succession. Could the transferor's freedom of assignment be prevented in the context of a family company? The element of response is undoubtedly in the consecration of the family pact, a new independent legal tool designed to effectively supplement the company statutes.