$4.7 Billion For Broadband Opportunities In US 16/03/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Rural and underserved areas in the United States will have US $4.7 billion to improve their access to broadband technologies. Some of the funds are earmarked for specific purposes — $250 million will go to sustainable adoption of broadband, for instance, and $200 million will go towards improving technological capacity at libraries, community colleges and […]
New Thinking On Biotech Patents From Industry Groups 13/03/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment LYON, FRANCE – A new level of willingness to cooperate on major public health initiatives may indicate increased convergence in goals between large pharmaceutical companies and patient advocacy groups, particularly when addressing neglected diseases, a panel at an international life sciences conference said Monday.
Happy Twentieth, World Wide Web 13/03/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Internet Society (ISOC) and World Wide Web creator Tim Berners-Lee celebrated the web’s twentieth anniversary in Geneva yesterday. As the web continues to grow in all aspects of society and business, the ISOC acknowledges the “freely accessible standards” and “open model of development” inherent in the internet that have promoted innovation and made the […]
World Health Organization Issues Statement On Generic Drug Seizures 13/03/2009 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Health Organization on Friday issued a statement on a high-profile debate over Dutch customs authorities’ delays of shipments of legitimate generic pharmaceuticals passing through the European country on their way to patients in developing countries. The goods were apparently believed to be counterfeit medicines.
New Legislation Introduced On Biogenerics 12/03/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A new bill introduced Thursday in the US House of Representatives could, if passed, create a pathway for generic versions of complex medications, called biologics, to be approved by the US Food and Drug Administration. Bills for such a pathway have been introduced before, but none have yet passed. Teva Pharmaceuticals, a leading generics manufacture […]
Deferred Examination: A Solution Whose Time Has Come 12/03/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments With over 1 million patent applications backlogged at the US Patent & Trademark Office, IBM legal counsel Steven Bennett and David Kappos urge adoption of a deferred examination process, which they argue will benefit USPTO, applicants and the public.
Lamy Restarts Informal WTO Process On Proposals On IP And Biodiversity, GI Extension 12/03/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments World Trade Organization Director General Pascal Lamy on Wednesday kicked off informal talks on two key intellectual property issues that have been stalled by disagreements on the forum and mandate for their discussion.
March/April IP-Watch Monthly Reporter Now Available 12/03/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Intellectual Property Watch Monthly Edition features top news on international IP policymaking, the latest on who is coming and going in the international IP community, news briefs and more. The March/April edition is now available for subscribers.
ICANN To IP Experts: Come Back With A Solution For Internet Trademark Protection 12/03/2009 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Trademark issues are emerging with the upcoming introduction of new generic top-level domains on the internet, and the board members of the body introducing the names has passed the ball back to intellectual property experts to find answers.
WTO Review Finds Brazil Progressing On Trade Policy, IP Rights Protection 11/03/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments Brazil, once criticised for lax intellectual property rights protection, has been stepping up implementation and enforcement of international IP rules in recent years, a World Trade Organization body announced Wednesday. But some major rights-holding nations urged the government to undertake further work.