INTRODUCTION: THE WASHINGTON DECLARATION ON INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY AND THE PUBLIC INTEREST

The last weekend in August 2011, between a freak earthquake and the arrival of Hurricane Irene, nearly 200 international intellectual property scholars and policy advocates gathered in Washington, DC, to "re-articulate the public interest dimension in intellectual property law and policy." The meeting produced the Washington Declaration on Intellectual Property and the Public Interest. The article provides a brief overview of the genesis of the network that was assembled at the Congress and of the process used to create its Declaration. In this effort, the Congress planners relied on and took inspiration from a series of influential convenings of scholars and advocates that created strands of a global network and defined its aspirations. The Congress was also influenced by the success and instruments of an industry-led "enforcement agenda" that was drawing increasing attention and resources from the public interest community.