Legislative Implementation of Flexibilities - Bhutan

Title:	Section 15 (1)-(3) of the Industrial Property Act of the Kingdom of Bhutan of 2001
Field of IP:	Patents
Type of flexibility:	Compulsory licenses and government use
Summary table:

Provisions of Law

Exploitation by Government or Person thereby Authorized

15. (1) Where:

(i) the public interest, in particular, national security, nutrition, health or the development of other vital sectors of the national economy so requires; or

(ii) a judicial or administrative body has determined that the manner of exploitation, by the owner of the patent or his licensee, is anti-competitive, and the Minister is satisfied that the exploitation of the invention in accordance with this subsection would remedy such practice:

the Minister may decide that, even without the agreement of the owner of the patent, a Government agency or a third person designated by the Minister may exploit the invention. The exploitation of the invention shall be limited to the purpose for which it was authorized and shall be subject to the payment to the said owner of an adequate remuneration therefor, taking into account the economic value of the invention, as determined in the said decision, and, where a decision has been taken under paragraph (ii), the need to correct anti-competitive practices. The Minister shall take his decision after hearing the owner of the patent and any interested person if they wish to be heard.

(2) Upon request of the owner of the patent, of the Government agency or of the third person authorized to exploit the patented invention, the Minister may, after hearing the parties, if either or both wish to be heard, vary the terms of the decision authorizing the exploitation of the patented invention to the extent that changed circumstances justify such variation.

(3) (a) Upon the request of the owner of the patent, the Minister shall terminate the authorization if he is satisfied, after hearing the parties, if either or both wish to be heard, that the circumstances which led to his decision have ceased to exist and are unlikely to recur or that the Government agency or third person designated by him has failed to comply with the terms of the decision.

(b) Notwithstanding paragraph (a), the Minister shall not terminate the authorization if he is satisfied that the need for adequate protection of the legitimate interests of the Government agency or third person designated by him justifies the maintenance of the decision.