Call for Papers: Transnational Dispute Management (TDM) Special Issue on 'The Unresolved Relationship between IIAs and IPRs'

Transnational Dispute Management (TDM, ISSN 1875-4120) is a journal on international arbitration, mediation and ADR, international investment law and transnational dispute management, published by MARIS. It runs alongside the OGEMID discussion network.

TDM has announced a forthcoming special issue titled The unresolved relationship between International Investments Agreements (IIAs) and Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) - Squaring the circle or the search for the proper balance between the efficient protection of foreign investments and the state's freedom to regulate in the public interest. It is TDM's second special issue on IIAs and IPRs, following TDM 2 (2009), The Protection of Intellectual Property Rights through International Investments Agreements.

The special issue will be edited by Prof. Dr. Markus Perkams (Addleshaw Goddard) and Professor Christopher Gibson (Suffolk University Law School).

The editors note that one often overlooked aspect of the 'right to regulate' debate is the uncertainty caused by including IPRs such as patents or trademarks within the scope of investment treaties, and the possible impact on the ability of states to regulate in the public interest. The issue aims to shed fresh light on the relationship between investment protection and intangible property rights by bringing together scholars and practitioners from the IPR and IIA fields.

• An overview of the many forms of IPRs, their relevance for international investments, and the specific challenges raised by their inclusion in IIAs
• A stocktaking of the origins of the protection of IPRs by international investment law
• A review of the existing case law
• The various approaches taken in investment treaties, with a focus on new solutions in modern treaties reflecting the lessons of the reform debates of the last decade
• Policy perspectives from stakeholders, from business views on protecting a company's most valuable assets to civil society concerns, for example in public health, about an overly broad level of protection for IPRs

The editors say this outline is not exclusive and welcome all contributions on the relationship between IIAs and IPRs.

The call invites all those with an interest in the subject to contribute articles or notes. It places no restriction by country, so Indian scholars, students and practitioners may submit.

• Proposals for papers: 150-200 words, due by 31 October 2026.
• Full articles: minimum 5,000 words (excluding footnotes, endnotes, appendices, tables, summary etc.).
• Articles must include a short summary of the key points addressed and any conclusions drawn (150-200 words).
• Layout must follow TDM's submission guidelines.
• Citations: OSCOLA (4th Edition).

Articles accepted before the deadline will also go through TDM's online advance publication process, so the work is published as soon as it completes peer review and editing. Publication of the special issue is planned for Q2 2027.

The official call does not state any submission or publication fee.

Email your 150-200 word proposal to the guest editors, Prof. Dr. Markus Perkams (markus.perkams@aglaw.com) and Professor Christopher Gibson (cgibson@suffolk.edu), with a copy (CC) to info@transnational-dispute-management.com, by 31 October 2026. Questions should be addressed to the editors in the same way.