The exclusive rights enjoyed by a copyright owner to reproduce his protected work in any material form, including any permanent or temporary storage in electronic form will have a direct impact on the lawful activities of an internet service provider (ISP). Any transmission of temporary copies...

As policymakers gradually (re-)assess social protection systems in the wider context of recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic, it is becoming increasingly important to have clear information on country-level programmes. This Research Report examines the country's existing non-contributory (social...

When the Intellectual Property Bill designed to secure compliance with the Agreement on Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights ("TRIPS Agreement") was challenged in the Supreme Court of Sri Lanka, the Court determined that the patenting of naturally occurring microorganisms by...

Apart from the basic statutory definition in section 65 of the Intellectual Property Act of Sri Lanka, there do not appear to be any detailed statutory guidelines or judicial decisions to provide any framework for the assessment of inventive step in Sri Lanka. The current statutory definition is...

After the Covid-19 pandemic broke out, the authorities have introduced a number of measures aimed at the business sector. Support has largely been given to the sectors hardest hit by the pandemic and measures to contain it. A considerable share of banks' loan customers in these sectors have...

The lockdown and other restrictive measures introduced during the Covid-19 pandemic and the ensuing economic recession have had a strong impact on labour markets worldwide. As far as the European Union (EU) is concerned, the accelerated fall in total employment was the 'sharpest decline ever...

The Covid-19 pandemic severely affected some categories of non-standard workers, and particularly the self-employed. The emergency measures cushioned the potentially disastrous effect on their social circumstances, but undeniably highlighted even more the gaps in their access and entitlement to...

With work a key vector of Covid-19 transmission, this report examines why it is critical that occupational health and safety measures take centre stage in mitigation policies. Workers in sectors declared essential by state authorities have been mandated to continue working in physical settings...