Exploring the Intersection of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and Human Rights in Digital Spaces
Submission Deadline: 24th September 2023
Winning essay announcement: 5th November 2023
About the organizers:
The Hume Institute for Postgraduate Studies (Hume) is a higher education institution based in the Canton of Vaud, Lausanne, Switzerland, which is renowned for its excellent education, healthcare systems, and outstanding infrastructure. Situated in a leading European hub for technology and innovation, Hume is committed to furthering Switzerland’s remarkable success which can be attributed to the mutual development of knowledge and technology, facilitated by the strong partnership
between academia and industry. It is this environment that sets the stage for Hume’s commitment to world-class learning and research in the landscape of 21st Century global education.
About the competition:
We are delighted to announce this year’s International Essay Writing Competition – 2023 on “Exploring the Intersection of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) and Human Rights in Digital Spaces,” organized by the Centre for Intellectual Property Rights, Strategy and Advancement (CISA) in collaboration with the Centre for Human Rights Law and Policy at REVA University, Bangalore, and the Hume Institute for
Postgraduate Studies in Lausanne, Switzerland.
This prestigious competition aims to foster critical thinking and insightful analysis of the intricate relationship between intellectual property rights and human rights within the digital realm. We cordially invite students, scholars, professionals, and enthusiasts from across the globe to participate in this unique opportunity to showcase their knowledge and perspectives through their essays.
Theme – Intellectual Property Rights and Human Rights
The advent of the digital era has revolutionized the creation, sharing, and consumption of information and intellectual creations. However, it has also presented significant challenges in safeguarding fundamental human rights, including freedom of expression, privacy, access to information, and cultural
rights. This competition seeks to delve into the complex interplay between IPR and Human Rights in the digital space, exploring a wide range of thought-provoking sub-themes:
- Digital Innovation, IPR, and Human Rights: Opportunities and Challenges
- Balancing Copyright Protection and Freedom of Expression in the Digital Age
- Digital Piracy and its Implications for Creativity and Human Rights
- Privacy, Data Protection, and Human Rights in the Digital Environment
- Access to Digital Knowledge, Education, and Cultural Rights
Note: The sub-themes above serve as a starting point and are not exhaustive.
Submission Guidelines:
❖ Participants must develop an original essay related to the theme.
❖ Essays should be written in English and should not exceed 3,000 words including footnotes.
❖ The essay must be well-researched and properly referenced using a 21st Blue Book citation style.
❖ Submissions should be in a MS Word document format, with double-spaced text and 12-point in Arial or Calibri Light.
❖ Each participant can submit only one entry and only one co-author is allowed.
❖ Entry to this edition of the Essay Competition is open to Undergraduate and Postgraduate Students, Ph.D. Scholars, Academicians and Legal Practitioners.
❖ All entries must be submitted by 11.59 pm IST on the submission deadline (Sunday, 24th September, 2023) via the provided submission portal – see submission button below.
❖ The file name of your word file will be in the following format: Name of the first Author_Name of Co-Author (if any) Title of the Essay. For example – if Ms Sam and Mr. Max were to submit their essay titled “Right to health and IPR” with the following name: Sam_Max_Right to Health and IPR (Essays with file names which are not in this format will NOT be accepted).
❖ Submissions need to be fully cited and not contain any plagiarism of any kind. The use of AI writing tools, in the event a high probability score is detected, will result in a summary rejection of the submission.
❖ E-Certificates will be provided to all participants.
❖ Submissions must be original, unpublished and should not be under consideration for publication or participation in any other contests.
❖ Apart from the file name (see point 9. Above), submissions should not contain any identifying information of the author(s) such as names or marks that could reveal the author(s)’s identity in the content of the word document.
