TALLAHASSEE — Florida State University College of Law’s Frederick M. Abbott, the Edward Ball Eminent Scholar Professor of International Law, has published a new co-edited book in the area of patent law. Emerging Markets and the World Patent Order (Edward Elgar Publishing 2013) examines the impact of the BRICS – Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa – and other emerging economies on the global patent framework.

“As entrepreneurs and research institutions within emerging markets approach technological parity with counterparts in the United States, Europe and other established technological powers, their domestic interest in patent protection is growing,” said Abbott. “At the same time, the BRICS are experimenting with different approaches to implementation of patent law. They are actively pursuing policies designed to enhance local production and they are addressing their own unique social and developmental issues.

“Patents are playing an important role in economic and development policy, and differences in approach have been a major source of friction in international economic relations. This book should help patent law experts and policy analysts better understand why different approaches to patents are being adopted, and why these differences reflect a healthy alternative to a uniform rigid framework.”

The idea for the book sprang from a 2012 conference hosted by the Florida State University College of Law that convened experts from around the world to explore critical issues raised by patents and our more deeply integrated global economy. Abbott, with Carlos M. Correa of the University of Buenos Aires and Peter Drahos of the Australian National University and Queen Mary University of London, coordinated the conference and co-edited the resulting book.

Abbott is highly regarded worldwide for his scholarship and professional activities in international intellectual property and global economic issues. Abbott is a consultant to the World Health Organization and the United Nations Development Program. He serves as Rapporteur for the Committee on International Trade Law of the International Law Association, and regularly acts as a dispute settlement panelist for the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Center. He is the author of numerous books and articles in the fields of international intellectual property law, public health law, international economic and public international law.