Patents as business diplomacy tools[Les brevets comme outils de diplomatie des affaires]

This article examines the role of patents in contemporary economic diplomacy, highlighting their growing importance in international negotiations and trade relations. Patents are defined as key intellectual property instruments allowing companies and research centers to protect their innovations and obtain a temporary monopoly on their exploitation. International patent cooperation is explored through agreements such as the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT), which facilitates the filing of international patents, and the European Patent Convention (EPC), which harmonizes procedures. deposit in Europe. Co-patents and triadic patents are also analyzed as forms of cooperation between companies and between states. The case of COVID-19 is used as a concrete example to illustrate patent diplomacy, highlighting both cooperation and competition between states in the development and distribution of vaccines. Despite international cooperation, diplomatic tensions and commercial rivalries have emerged, particularly between Western and Eastern countries. Patents have played a central role in these issues, with debates over lifting patents to ensure equitable access to vaccines.