Top IP-Watch Stories Of 2013: India, Marrakesh Treaty, Seed/Gene Patents, WIPO Election

Published on 9 January 2014 @ 6:53 pm

By William New, Intellectual Property Watch

Looking back on 2013, the list of the most-viewed stories on the Intellectual Property Watch website shows that reporting on activities in India, especially related to patents and public health, continued to draw the most attention. Other top stories were the Marrakesh Treaty on copyright exceptions for blind readers, legal cases involving patents on seeds and on plant and human genes, the election for World Intellectual Property Organization director general, free-trade agreements (including the Wikileaks leak of the IP chapter of the Trans-Atlantic Partnership agreement), Russian copyrights, and 3D printing.

The list of stories is based on those receiving most views, as per Google Analytics. These issues remain hot but list may look different in 2014, as several top issues already peaked (such as certain legal cases) or will run their course early this year (like the WIPO election).

The nature of the data is that stories posted earlier in the year, and therefore available on the site longer, have time to collect more views. It is not surprising, therefore, that most of the top-ranked stories date from the first half of the year.

Intellectual Property Watch publishes hundreds of stories each year and receives hundreds of thousands of views.

The most-viewed article of the year was one by an expert explaining the outcome of the Indian Supreme Court decision in the Novartis v. India case, in which the Swiss company unsuccessfully challenged the validity of India’s 2005 patent law.

Second in popularity also was an expert view on India, this time on its 2012 copyright law amendment.

Rounding out the top 5 were the landmark agreement in Marrakesh on a WIPO treaty easing access to books for the blind, the Monsanto v. Bowman case about patented plant seeds, the European Patent Office’s patenting of tomatoes and other ordinary vegetables.

Other stories of note among the top were on: the average cost of US patents, the US Supreme Court decision on the first sale doctrine, a leaked IP chapter of the India-EU trade agreement, Germany and software patents, plain packaging of tobacco products, Antigua’s copyright retaliation against the United States, the extension of an LDC transition to WTO IP rules, global pharmaceutical companies in Pakistan, indigenous views on traditional knowledge protection, the new EU copyright licensing initiative, and an analysis of fair and reasonable, non-discriminatory (FRAND) licensing terms.

The most-viewed Intellectual Property Watch articles of 2013 were:

Inside Views: The Judgment In Novartis v. India: What The Supreme Court Of India Said
http://www.ip-watch.org/2013/04/04/the-judgment-in-novartis-v-india-what-the-supreme-court-of-india-said/

Inside Views: Development In Indian IP Law: The Copyright (Amendment) Act 2012
http://www.ip-watch.org/2013/01/22/development-in-indian-ip-law-the-copyright-amendment-act-2012/

Miracle In Marrakesh: “Historic” Treaty For Visually Impaired Agreed
http://www.ip-watch.org/2013/06/26/miracle-in-marrakesh-historic-treaty-for-visually-impaired-agreed/

Monsanto v. Bowman: Stocktaking After Supreme Court Hearings
http://www.ip-watch.org/2013/03/05/monsanto-v-bowman-stocktaking-after-supreme-court-hearings/

Plant Patentability Questions Deepen In EPO Tomato Patent Case
http://www.ip-watch.org/2012/06/13/plant-patentability-questions-deepen-in-epo-tomato-patent-case/

India’s First Compulsory Licence Upheld, But Legal Fights Likely To Continue
http://www.ip-watch.org/2013/03/04/indias-first-compulsory-licence-upheld-but-legal-fights-likely-to-continue/

Novartis Loses Patent Bid: Lessons From India’s 3(d) Experience
http://www.ip-watch.org/2013/04/01/novartis-loses-patent-bid-lessons-from-indias-3d-experience/

Members Of US Congress Urge US To Oppose Re-Election Of WIPO Director Gurry
http://www.ip-watch.org/2013/09/20/us-congress-members-urge-us-to-oppose-re-election-of-wipo-director-gurry/

Monsanto, Myriad: Two US Legal Cases Shaking Biotech Industries
http://www.ip-watch.org/2013/02/18/monsanto-myriad-two-us-legal-cases-shaking-biotechnology-industries/

Report Finds Average US Patent Cost US$ 374,000 In 2012
http://www.ip-watch.org/2013/02/12/first-patent-value-quotient-report-shows-average-price-paid-for-issued-us-patents/

WIPO Annual Assembly Breaks Down; Extraordinary Meeting Eyed For December
http://www.ip-watch.org/2013/10/03/wipo-annual-assembly-breaks-down-extraordinary-meeting-eyed-for-december/

Over 50 Countries Sign Marrakesh Treaty On Copyright Exceptions And Limitations For The Blind
http://www.ip-watch.org/2013/07/01/over-50-countries-sign-marrakesh-treaty-on-copyright-exceptions-and-limitations-for-the-blind/

Inside Views: Happy Birthday To You, Copyrighted
http://www.ip-watch.org/2013/07/04/happy-birthday-to-you-copyrighted/

Russia Establishes Specialised Court For Intellectual Property Rights
http://www.ip-watch.org/2013/03/01/russia-establishes-specialised-court-for-intellectual-property-rights/

Process Set For 2014 Election Of WIPO Director General; Competition Brewing
http://www.ip-watch.org/2013/07/17/process-set-for-2014-election-of-wipo-director-general-competition-brewing/

US Supreme Court Applies First Sale Doctrine Worldwide
http://www.ip-watch.org/2013/03/19/us-supreme-court-applies-first-sale-doctrine-worldwide/

Leaked IP Chapter Of India-EU FTA Shows TRIPS-Plus Pitfalls For India, Expert Says
http://www.ip-watch.org/2013/03/12/leaked-ip-chapter-of-india-eu-fta-shows-trips-plus-pitfalls-for-india-expert-says/

Wikileaks’ Release Of TPP Chapter On IP Blows Open Secret Trade Negotiation
http://www.ip-watch.org/2013/11/13/wikileaks-release-of-tpp-chapter-on-ip-blows-open-secret-trade-negotiation/

Inside Views: The Novartis Decision: A Tale Of Developing Countries, IP, And The Role Of The Judiciary
http://www.ip-watch.org/2013/04/15/the-novartis-decision-a-tale-of-developing-countries-ip-and-the-role-of-the-judiciary/

WIPO Demonstrates 3D Printing: Making The Impossible Possible
http://www.ip-watch.org/2013/04/25/wipo-demonstrates-3d-printing-making-the-impossible-possible/

German Parliament Sends Message: Stop Granting Software Patents
http://www.ip-watch.org/2013/04/22/german-parliament-sends-message-stop-granting-software-patents/

WTO Hears Health, Economic Considerations Of Plain Packaging For Tobacco
http://www.ip-watch.org/2013/03/07/wto-hears-health-economic-considerations-of-plain-packaging-for-tobacco/

India Grants First Compulsory Licence, For Bayer Cancer Drug
http://www.ip-watch.org/2012/03/12/india-grants-first-compulsory-licence-for-bayer-cancer-drug/

WTO: Wide Support For LDC TRIPS Extension, With A Hitch
http://www.ip-watch.org/2013/03/06/wto-wide-support-for-ldc-trips-transition-extension-with-a-hitch/

WIPO Election: Two Candidates For Director So Far, More Could Follow
http://www.ip-watch.org/2013/09/29/wipo-election-two-candidates-for-director-so-far-more-could-follow/

Global Pharma Companies See Battle For Survival In Pakistan
http://www.ip-watch.org/2013/03/21/global-pharma-companies-see-battle-for-survival-in-non-ipr-compliant-pakistan/

WTO: Antigua To Retaliate Against US By Suspending IP Rights Protection
http://www.ip-watch.org/2013/01/28/wto-antigua-to-retaliate-against-us-by-suspending-ip-rights-protection/

White House Takes Major Action Against “Patent Trolls”
http://www.ip-watch.org/2013/06/04/white-house-takes-major-action-against-patent-trolls/

WTO Members Agree On Draft Extension Of TRIPS Transition For LDCs
http://www.ip-watch.org/2013/06/07/wto-members-agree-on-draft-extension-of-trips-transition-for-ldcs/

Interviews: What Protection Of Traditional Knowledge Means To Indigenous Peoples
http://www.ip-watch.org/2013/08/20/interviews-what-protection-of-traditional-knowledge-means-to-indigenous-peoples/

US Supreme Court Rules In Favour Of Monsanto In Patent Exhaustion Case
http://www.ip-watch.org/2013/05/13/us-supreme-court-rules-in-favour-of-monsanto-in-patent-exhaustion-case/

European Commission Launches Copyright Licensing Initiative
http://www.ip-watch.org/2013/02/05/european-commission-launches-copyright-licensing-initiative/

Inside Views: Motorola vs. Microsoft And The Future Of FRAND
http://www.ip-watch.org/2013/07/29/motorola-vs-microsoft-and-the-future-of-frand/

Philippines Mulls Suspended Cybercrime Law Restricting Communication
http://www.ip-watch.org/2013/01/23/philippines-mulls-suspended-cybercrime-law-restricting-communication/

William New may be reached at wnew@ip-watch.ch.

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Top IP-Watch Stories Of 2013: India, Marrakesh Treaty, Seed/Gene Patents, WIPO Election

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