UC Davis Law and Jindal Global Law School Conference: Law and Sustainable Development WHAT IS SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT AND WHAT IS ITS RELATIONSHIP TO LAW? The most frequently used definition of sustainable development is from Our Common Future, also known as the Brundtland Report: Sustainable development is development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. It contains within it two key concepts: the concept of needs, in particular the essential needs of the world’s poor, to which overriding priority should be given; and the idea of limitations imposed by the state of technology and social organization on the environment’s ability to meet present and future needs. Law plays a critical role in the achievement of sustainable development. During this one-day conference, scholars from a variety of fields including corporate law, intellectual property, human rights and environmental law will come together to discuss the role of law - including soft law, hard law and governance structures - in achieving and implementing sustainable development. 10:45A.M. - 12:00P.M. | Panel 2: Sustainable Development and Innovation Intellectual property rights have a complicated relationship with sustainable development. Exclusive rights provide incentives to create new technologies and expressive works, thus accelerating innovation. Such innovation has the capacity to transform developing countries, expanding economic frontiers and raising standards of living. However, exclusive rights are output constraints that raise prices and decrease access to new technologies and cultural products. In this fashion, intellectual property rights can constrain access to essential medicines, communications technologies, and textbooks, thus hampering the world’s poor. From a structural perspective, intellectual property rights can promote fledgling entrepreneurialism and market entry, but they are also wielded by established incumbents to exclude potential competitors and shore up market power. This panel will explore the complex intersections of intellectual property rights and development, suggesting mechanisms for shaping and augmenting exclusive rights to advance human flourishing. UC Davis Law Moderator & Panelist: Mario Biagioli, Distinguished Professor of Law and Science and Technology Studies (STS) and Director, Center for Science and Innovation Studies (Moderator) Peter Lee, Professor of Law Jindal Panelists: Jasmeet Gulati, Associate Professor of Law, Associate Dean (Examinations) and Executive Director of Centre for Public International Law Avirup Bose, Associate Professor and Assistant Director, Centre for International Trade and Economics Laws