WTO Ministerial TRIPS Chair Floats ‘Elements’ As Main Issues Start To Move 25/07/2008 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment [Update: Ministers reached a tentative deal Friday night on some aspects of agriculture and NAMA, and will take up services on Saturday, according to ministers.] By William New Word went out Friday evening that there may have been some progress on the main issues under negotiation at this week’s World Trade Organization ministerial in Geneva. […]
Patent Insurance Scheme: Financial Resource For WHO Global IP Strategy? 25/07/2008 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Itaru Nitta, Green Intellectual Property Project, Geneva, Switzerland In its Assembly 2008, the World Health Organization (WHO) adopted the Global Strategy and Plan of Action on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property to squarely steer the global R&D [research and development] and IP policy toward maladies afflicting impoverished nations. Subsequent to this historic resolution, […]
Chair: Compromise On TRIPS Issues Still Possible, If Broader WTO Talks Can Move 24/07/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Kaitlin Mara and William New Compromise on intellectual property issues at this week’s World Trade Organization ministerial meeting has been hard to find, but the facilitator of the IP talks said Thursday night that the possibility remains if the broader talks can proceed. Countries with a range of views met bilaterally with the chair […]
IP Experts Sign Declaration Seeking Balanced Copyright Three-Step Test 24/07/2008 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments By Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Harmonisation of copyright regulation in recent years has overly “focussed on securing rightsholders’ ability to benefit from new modes of exploitation and business models” and has primarily served “the interests of copyright exporting countries.” This statement does not come from copyright critics, but from a group of well-known […]
L’Europe pourrait accélérer les négociations de l’ACAC 24/07/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Monika Ermert pour Intellectual Property Watch Contrairement à ce que les négociateurs européens avaient affirmé au sujet du temps nécessaire pour peaufiner l’Accord commercial anti-contrefaçon (ACAC), les pays semblent à présent prêts à accélérer les négociations. La question de l’ACAC a été mise à l’ordre du jour de la présidence française de l’Union européenne (UE) […]
UNCTAD IP Activities Rise With Renewed Mandate; Greater Collaboration 24/07/2008 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Catherine Saez Intellectual property-related issues appear to be a clear policy focus of the United Nations Conference On Trade and Development (UNCTAD) as an IP mandate was reconfirmed by the 12th quadrennial UNCTAD conference in April and the organisation has been named by two other prominent UN agencies as a key stakeholder in this […]
US Patent Office Conducts Tour On Industrial Design Protection 24/07/2008 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Liza Porteus Viana for Intellectual Property Watch The United States Patent and Trademark Office is meeting with industry groups and intellectual property experts to determine how to strike just the right balance on industrial design protection in the United States. In the US, design patents can protect the ornamental appearance of manufactured items such as cars. These differ from utility patents, which provide protection for the innovative, functional aspects of a product as embodied in the structure or operation of the product. Original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) often spend millions, if not billions, of dollars creating unique and distinctive designs for their products, whether they be strollers, mobile phones, household appliances or clothing. But recent moves by the European Union in loosening patent protection for car repair parts, specifically, has gotten some attention in the United States, as has a legislative bill sponsored by Representative Zoe Lofgren (Democrat, California). So the USPTO wants to round up ideas and opinions on market effects of such actions, particularly when this country has seen an “incremental increase in design applications” being filed – about 5,000 more in 2007 than in 2003.
WTO Ministerial: TRIPS Issues May Be Tackled In Smaller Groups Seeking Compromises 23/07/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Kaitlin Mara and William New A meeting tentatively scheduled for late Wednesday evening to mediate differences of opinion on three intellectual property issues was postponed, at least until Thursday, when consultations may move into smaller groups, sources say. There have been several days of meetings and informal consultations in this week’s World Trade Organization […]
Norway Chairs As Europe Replies GIs A WTO ‘Must’; Others Gear Up Biodiversity Push 23/07/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Kaitlin Mara with William New Key stakeholder nations on intellectual property issues at this week’s World Trade Organization ministerial in Geneva are holding consultations with the Norwegian foreign minister facilitating to iron out positions before meeting later tonight with WTO Director General Pascal Lamy, according to government sources. [Note: The meeting, which would have […]
IP Rights Holders Frown On Proposed Changes To WTO TRIPS Agreement 23/07/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Kaitlin Mara Some intellectual property rights holders and their representative governments are looking with concern at the drive to hold discussions on draft modalities for IP issues in this week’s World Trade Organization mini-ministerial. Letters sent early this week to the United States Trade Representative and European Union External Trade Commissioner by developed-nation industry […]