Numerous Side Events At WIPO General Assembly This Week 22/09/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A number of side events have been scheduled during the annual General Assemblies of the World Intellectual Property Organization this week. The range of events are organised by WIPO as well as governmental and non-governmental organisations working in areas such as public health, finance, copyright, geographical indications and innovation.
Is The Development Dimension Of WIPO Incompatible With Its Role Of IP Protection? 18/09/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments The World Intellectual Property Organization is a successful United Nations agency if success is measured by its generated income and the number of international registrations of intellectual property titles. However, in its role as a norm-setting United Nations agency, the organisation has been struggling for the past year as member countries have quite a different view on its core objectives.
Top Officials Proposed For WIPO; Tied To Director’s Term 17/09/2014 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments After months of consideration and an application process that attracted 360 applicants, the World Intellectual Property Organization secretariat has made public its proposed names for the top posts at the UN agency for the next six years. Only four out of eight names are newcomers, and all will be tied to the term of service […]
For Experts, Questions Still Abound On IP And Standard-Setting 16/09/2014 by Magda Voltolini for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment BRUSSELS – Intellectual property experts at the annual conference of the European Policy for Intellectual Property Association (EPIP) discussed a range of topics including IP rights and standard-setting. The conclusion? Many questions remain unanswered.
‘Google’ Not A Generic Term Yet, US Court Says 16/09/2014 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Googling may be a ubiquitous fact of life, but the company behind the term still has trademark rights, a US court has found.
Experts Look At The Meaning Of Myriad Case, One Year Later 16/09/2014 by Brittany Ngo for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment IRVINE, CALIFORNIA – Experts gathered here last week addressed the question of – one year later – what does the United States Supreme Court’s decision on human gene patents mean for scientific research and patent policy?
African Declaration On Internet Rights And Freedoms 15/09/2014 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Infojustice.org writes: Last week, 23 civil society groups released the African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms at the Internet Governance Forum, infojustice.org reports. The declaration is organized around twelve key principles, including Freedom of Expression and the Right to Information and Open Data.
WIPO Committee Advances Decisions On Programme, Budget, Oversight 15/09/2014 by William New and Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The powerful World Intellectual Property Organization Program and Budget Committee in its recent meeting worked through a tough agenda of core decisions about the UN organisation’s functioning and future. The committee reached decisions on key issues related to strengthened oversight, the 2014-2015 programme, and financial issues, but couldn’t break through on issues like new WIPO field offices, streamlining committee meetings, accounting for development expenditures, or funding indigenous representatives to participate in WIPO negotiations.
UN Human Rights Council Hears Discussion On Right To Privacy In Digital Age 12/09/2014 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The UN Human Rights Council today held a panel discussion in Geneva on the right to privacy in the digital age, featuring several experts. The panel was part of a larger effort by the Council to address the increasingly urgent issue.
Guest Post: Nine Mandatory Licences Allow Greater Access To Medicines In Ecuador 12/09/2014 by Intellectual Property Watch, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment What is a mandatory licence? Mandatory licenses are a legal remedy within the intellectual property flexibilities provided by the World Trade Organization allowing a government to grant permission to third parties to produce a patented product or use a patented process without the consent of the patentee, in order to address a priority status for the country.