Pharma Industry Seeks To Bring A Fresh Face To Public Health Policy 23/03/2011 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The research-based pharmaceutical industry is working to bring a fresh face to the international public health policy arena in Geneva, most recently through a new initiative on technology transfer. Working through the industry’s Geneva-based trade association, the effort to be seen in a more positive light comes after years of doubts about the transparency of its involvement in these issues and could change the tenor of international negotiations.
UN Agencies Encourage Use Of WTO Measures To Lower HIV Medicines Costs 15/03/2011 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments Three United Nations agencies have joined together to explain to their member countries the little-understood but hard-won flexibilities to applying stiff international intellectual property rules. The focus of the new policy brief is on improving access to HIV treatment, and it offers a series of actions for governments and international organisations.
Copyright System Must “Adapt Or Perish,” WIPO Director Says 15/03/2011 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments The traditional copyright system’s balance for encouraging yet controlling access to copyrighted works in order to extract value for them has met with a destructive force in the internet that it cannot overcome without changing itself, the head of the World Intellectual Property Organization said recently in a landmark speech. And he proposed several elements for the way forward.
Medicines Patent Pool Aims To Increase Access To HIV Drugs In Developing Countries 10/03/2011 by Tavengwa Runyowa for Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments The newly created Medicines Patent Pool promises to increase access to HIV/AIDS medications in developing markets. Based in Geneva, Switzerland, the pool operates a scheme in which pharmaceutical patent holders voluntarily licence their drugs to generic manufacturers who then produce more affordable versions for patients in poorer countries
Economist: Breadth Of Patent Portfolio Better Than Betting On One Winner 11/02/2011 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Determining the value of patented inventions is akin to a guessing game, said a speaker at the World Intellectual Property Organization yesterday. Companies should try to spread their patents over related technological innovations rather focusing on one patent, hoping it will be “the philosopher’s stone”.
WIPO Survey On Patent Filing Strategies Shows Rise In Optimism 07/02/2011 by Tavengwa Runyowa for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A recent economic survey by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) assessed the expected growth in domestic and international patent filings in 2010 compared to 2009. The highest expected growth rates were reported in Asian countries, with modest and declining growth reported in Europe and the United States respectively.
Innovation, Generic Drugs, Patents In Congress Follow Obama’s State of the Union Speech 28/01/2011 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments American lawmakers aren’t wasting any time getting down to business after President Obama stressed the importance of spurring innovation during his annual State of the Union address this week and cited the need for the United States to regain its competitive edge, particularly when up against countries such as China and India. A slew of related bills are emerging in Congress.
Midem Music Congress: The Two Universes Of The Music Business 26/01/2011 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment CANNES – More help from governments, a hope for new cloud music services and new markets in emerging countries like Brazil. India and China were on the wish list of the big music labels and publishers at this week’s annual industry bash in Cannes, France. Technology companies and the newly invited hackers were more concerned with new ways to better access music and connecting artists and fans.
WHO Gears Up For Reform Driven By Financial Shortfall 25/01/2011 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments The Executive Board session of the World Health Organization ended early on Monday after a week of discussions that settled some issues but left some others for the next governing meeting of the organisation in May, with much to do until then. The WHO is facing a significant gap in its budget and a programme of reforms is brewing.
The 2011 Drug Patent ‘Cliff’ And The Evolution Of IP Valuation 11/01/2011 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment In today’s global economy, there is an increasing convergence of intellectual property and finance. Wall Street is grappling with how to recognise the true value of a firm’s intellectual property. Companies are realising that simply accumulating patents does not necessarily increase their firms’ value, but it is how those patents are used that can attract capital. And drug companies facing massive numbers of upcoming patent expiries, a deflated economy and other market pressures, are looking to diversify their portfolios to stay in the black.
