Latest blog articles

  • Maintaining trust in WTO adjudication: the arbitration ‘safety valve’

    The idea floated by a Maastricht doctoral researcher in September 2017 on how to bypass the current deadlock over appointments to the WTO Appellate Body and to avoid a collapse of the WTO dispute settlement system has gained momentum in academic and policymaking circles.

    Law
    1950_international_trade
  • Renewable energy technology - fair and equitable treatment standard?

    Although decreasing costs of renewable energy technology have made renewable energy projects more commercially viable, investment in renewables remains highly capital-intensive, due to large necessary upfront costs, and is not considered profitable in the short-term.

    Law
    Renewable energy_law Blogs Maastricht
  • Louboutin red sole shoes and copycats

    Christian Louboutin vs Van Haren Schoenen - The CJEU is to decide as to whether or not the red colour on soles of Louboutin shoes represents an aspect of a shape of the product, in which case it would not be protectable.

    Law
    Louboutin_heels
  • Can Aldi sell a dessert called “Champagner Sorbet”?

    Since “Champagne” is a protected designation of origin (PDO) under EU law, it is not self-evident whether a product that is not Champagne but which contains Champagne can use the protected term in its trade name.

    Law
    Champagne
  • Patents and climate change

    The world faces the growing problem of global warming. This phenomenon leads to unprecedented social effects in human history. Consequently, it is imperative to mitigate this problem. International Organizations and countries are working together in order to better deal with this issue.

    Law
    Climate change
  • Are open designs truly free?

    A handbook, a practical tool for users”; this is how Dr. Thomas Kirchberger defines his thesis, in which he covers the relation between Open Design and Intellectual Property. On Friday 29th of September 2017, Dr. Kirchberger came to our Law Faculty to discuss this topic and analyse how open design...

    Law
    creative-commons license
  • Judging the state in international trade and investment law

    This book addresses concerns with the international trade and investment dispute settlement systems from a statist perspective, at a time when multilateralism is deeply questioned by the forces of mega-regionalism and political and economic contestation.

    Law
    1950_international_trade
  • Artificial intelligence (AI) and intellectual property (IP), a call for action

    “Whereas from Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein’s Monster to the classical myth of Pygmalion, through the story of Prague’s Golem to the robot of Karel Čapek, who coined the word, people have fantasised about the possibility of building intelligent machines, more often than not androids with human...

    Law
    Artificial intelligence blog_Law blogs Maastricht