A recent US court decision introduces entirely new questions about the balance between a transformative work and a copyright infringement. It also places the responsibility of balancing the public interest in freedom of expression against the interests of rights holders squarely in the hands of the court, writes Leslee Friedman.
Brazil is actively engaged in a cutting-edge debate over reform of its copyright law, involving issues such as the abuse of copyright holders and constructive exceptions in the law (like copying for education and/or transformative purposes and authorisation to copy by libraries and museums to preserve their works). But the government needs to hear from all interested parties – especially the artists – and avoid letting the debate transform into a political-ideological discussion, writes Brazilian lawyer Manuela Correia Botelho Colombo.Intellectual Property Watch
12 March 2010
AIDS Patients Protest EU-India Trade Agreement
Patients with HIV/AIDS today protested in New Delhi against negotiations for a European Union-India free trade agreement that they say will restrict access to cheaper versions of critical medicines in developing countries. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF, or Doctors without Borders) said in a statement that India is the source of more than 90 percent of the world’s AIDS medicines but that higher levels of intellectual property rights protection in the bilateral deal with Europe could impose new standards that allow drug companies to keep prohibitively high prices on those medicines.
“Lifelong treatment for people living with HIV depends on continued access to newer AIDS medicines,” Loon Gangte, president of the Delhi Network of Positive People (DNP+), said in the statement. “Because of international trade rules that India has already signed in the past, some of our newer AIDS medicines are already patented and completely unaffordable. We are protesting against India’s accepting terms that would further compromise access to life-saving medicine.”
“India is the pharmacy of the developing world. So the impact of this also stretches far beyond India,” said MSF Campaigner Leena Menghaney.
Measures Europe is seeking such as data exclusivity, which delays the registration of generic medicines, and an extension of the patent term beyond 20 years, are unnecessary under international rules, MSF asserted. In addition, it said, “after multiple incidents of seizing Indian generic medicines in transit to other developing countries in Latin America, and Africa, the EU is now seeking to legitimise such measures by forcing India to adopt them in the FTA.”
A European response was not available at presstime.
22 April 2010 at 12:00 pm
Also mind ACTA, the Bilderberger’s plan for the eugenics vision of worldwide population management through Access to Medicine control. Many provisions of the bilateral FTA are also found in ACTA.
13 May 2010 at 12:18 pm
Mass consciousness may lead to combat HIV/AIDs successfully.
Health care also remains another huge concern. According to a recent Planning Commission assessment, the shortfall of primary health centres and sub-centres in 2008 has remained almost the same as in 2005, and the number of auxiliary nurse midwives has, in fact, decreased over the same period. Today, there is a 50 per cent shortfall in trained health workers, radiographers, lab technicians and doctors. At the existing rate, only 62 per cent deliveries will be attended by skilled personnel by 2015 – with rural areas being particularly under-serviced.
Sanitation, unfortunately, has never been a policy priority for India despite that fact that drinking water contaminated by faecal matter is a major cause of child deaths. The Report admits that India has the lowest sanitation coverage in the world – in 2007-08, an estimated 66 per cent of rural households did not have toilet facilities.
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