Some Processes For Plant Production Banned From Patentability In Europe 10/12/2010 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The European Patent Office Enlarged Board of Appeal yesterday gave its decision on the so-called “broccoli” and “tomato” cases, and excluded “essentially biological processes for the production of plans (or animals)” from patentability.
Uproar Over Government-Only Internet Governance Forum 09/12/2010 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Civil Society and industry stakeholder groups are up in arms against a decision by the bureau of the United Nations Committee on Science and Technology for Development to task only governments with the decision on improvements for the Internet Governance Forum.
What If There Were An Application For Dot Wikileaks? 09/12/2010 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments What would happen if the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) received an application for a .wikileaks top level domain name (TLD) next year, under its new system of opening up the internet for domains? It could make an interesting example of how well the complex system to apply for new TLDs works and how much political intervention is possible in the system. At the 39th ICANN meeting in Cartagena, Colombia this week, the self-regulatory body is trying to finalise issues in the published Final Applicant Guidebook – and it is governments and trademark owners that are calling for more time and more procedures.
WHO To Define Traditional Medicines Standards 07/12/2010 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Health Organization intends to develop a new classification scheme for traditional medicine intended to provide web-based platform for users to document ideas and terms used in traditional medicine.
Caribbean IP: Ensure Unending Local Protection Of Traditional Knowledge 07/12/2010 by Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments In the Caribbean, issues of traditional knowledge in intellectual property are hardly considered to be of special significance to the majority of policymakers and, except for a few pockets of interest groups such as a group of Rastafarians in Jamaica, the average citizen is uninformed on the subject. The protection of the cultural heritage of the region through a normative system of law is exceedingly necessary for the survival of our unique brand of cultural expression, writes Abiola Inniss.
‘Final Final’ ACTA Text Published; More Discussion Ahead For EU 06/12/2010 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments Negotiating partners today released the final text of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) after another week of what they called “legal scrubbing” which in fitting form was once again was performed behind closed doors, this time in Sydney.
WTO Session On GIs, Part Of Doha “Final Countdown” 06/12/2010 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment This week the World Trade Organization is convening informal consultations on an international register for geographical indications on wines and spirits, as part of a “final countdown” intensification process for the Doha round of trade liberalisation talks.
Officials Work To Advance WIPO Treaty To Protect Biological, Traditional Resources 06/12/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Delegates this week at the World Intellectual Property Organization are continuing text-based discussions on a legal instrument for traditional knowledge, genetic resources and traditional cultural expressions. This week’s meeting is expected to be a stage-setter for the coming year, considered a key one in the ongoing efforts to solve global biopiracy concerns.
WHO Members Again Attempt Global Plan Against Pandemics 06/12/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The most recent outbreak of pandemic influenza was mild, but the World Health Organization is still working on a plan of what to do should another, more severe outbreak ever occur. States will come together this month in another attempt to finalise this plan.
Text-Based Talks Begin In Cancun Climate Talks; Civil Society Demands Transparency 05/12/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Global talks to address climate change being held in Cancun hobbled along last week amid calls for flexibility among parties. Japan declared its opposition to an extension of the Kyoto Protocol setting binding targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Meanwhile, civil society worried about transparency in the negotiating process, as countries started negotiations on specific texts.