Staff Information

Luigi Palombi has degrees in law and economics from The University of Adelaide, Australia, has been a Barrister and Solicitor in Australia since 1982 and was awarded a PhD from The University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia. His PhD thesis in 2004 was entitled “The Patenting of Biological Materials in the Context of TRIPS.” Although an accomplished lawyer who specialises in patent law and biotechnology, with clients around the world, his post-doctoral work commenced at RegNet in 2008 and is focused on traditional knowledge and intellectual property.

Professional Activities

My research interests focus on patent policy and governance as well as the interrelationship between traditional knowledge and intellectual property law. One strand of my research looks at the historical development of patent law and the role that it has played in the biotechnology industry with specific emphasis on the scope of patentable subject matter. This aspect of my research seeks to explore how the economic, political and legal theories and events that have resulted in modern intellectual property systems, operate either to encourage or suppress innovation. The other strand of my research looks at traditional knowledge and explores how and where the economic benefits of this knowledge are being distributed. The extent to which benefits are being absorbed through the medium of current intellectual property systems is particularly relevant especially given that wealthcreation for many indigenous peoples is often limited to their traditional knowledge. Traditional knowledge is thus a resource that may facilitate the economic transition of indigenous peoples and provide them with assetsthrough which they can accumulate wealth and economic self determination.

I am on the Editorial Council of RECIIS ­ Electronic Journal in Communication, Information and Innovation in Health, edited by the Centre of Scientific and Technology Information (Centro de Informação Científica e Tecnológica ­ CICT) of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), in Rio de Janierio, Brazil, a regular speaker at international conferences and participant in international workshops and a chief investigator on a three researchproject being funded by the Australian Research Council.

Selected Publications

Books:

Palombi, L 2009. Gene Cartels: Biotech Patents in the Age of Free Trade, Edward Elgar, UK and USA.

Book Chapters:

Palombi, L 2008. The Genetic Sequence Right: A Sui Generis Alternative to the Patenting of Biological Materials, in Gibson, J (ed), Patenting Lives: Life Patents, Development and Culture, Ashgate Publishing, UK.

Report(s):

TK IP Broome Workshop Report [PDF available]

Articles:

TRIPS, bilateralism and patents: how they are failing both the developed and the developing world and what to do about it. Elect J. Commun. Inf. Innov. Health, Vol 1, No 1, 71-81 (2007).

The Impact Of TRIPS On The Validity Of The European Biotechnology Directive, Journal of International Biotechnology Law, (2005) Journal of International Biotechnology Law, Vol 2, 15-23 (2005)

Patentable Subject Matter, TRIPS and the European Biotechnology Directive: Australia and Patenting Human Genes, UNSWLJ (2003) 26(3) 782-792.