Special Report: WHO Advisory Group On Flu Preparedness Hears Comments, Addresses New Genetics Issue 22/10/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments World Health Organization members and stakeholders were invited to provide comments this month on the organisation’s framework to spur preparedness for future influenza pandemics and ensure treatments will reach developing countries. The framework is expected to undergo a review in 2016. The advisory group to the initiative also went through issues such as contributions by manufacturers, and how to deal with genetic sequence data.
CEIPI Event – Is Copyright In The EU Fit For The 21st Century? 21/10/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Center for International Intellectual Property Studies (CEIPI) of the University of Strasbourg welcomes the Vice-President of the European Commission in charge of the Digital Single Market, Andrus Ansip, for a conference-debate on the topic of the future copyright reform in the EU: “Is copyright in the EU fit for the 21st century?”.
WIPO Re:Search Side Event – Realisations And Steps Forward 21/10/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Alongside the recent World Intellectual Property Organization General Assembly, the WIPO Global Challenges Division presented WIPO Re:Search, a public-private consortium to facilitate research on neglected tropical diseases, tuberculosis and malaria.
Evolution Of The Copyright Exceptions And Limitations Provision In The TPP 21/10/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) Agreement contains an important provision concerning achieving balance in the copyright systems of the twelve countries party to that free trade agreement. This provision was not present in the early draft of the agreement. Then, in July 2012, the United States proposed language that formed the basis of the text of […]
Special Report: US Reverses Course On Patent Injunctions 20/10/2015 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Federal Circuit is no stranger to controversy. And recently, the court stepped in it again. In an important ruling, the court made it far easier for some patent owners to obtain injunctions against infringers. The ruling could promote patent litigation in many industries, boost litigation costs, and effectively undermine a key Supreme Court decision limiting the availability of patent injunctions.
Infojustice.org: Google Books And Feist-y Fair Use 20/10/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments From infojustice.org: Judge Pierre Leval’s opinion [on 16 October] in the Google Books case offers another fascinating glimpse into the richness of his thinking about the concept of fair use. Although the outcome in Google Books (Google wins, duh) was obvious to anyone whose paycheck didn’t depend on their believing otherwise, the discussion that gets us there sheds light on a host of hot fair use topics in ways that courts and copyright wonks will be citing and unpacking for years to come.
Standards Needed For IP Value To Be Recognised By Banks, IP Offices Say 20/10/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Valuation of intellectual property is of growing importance to small and medium-sized enterprises in getting loans from financial institutions, IP office representatives said at a side event to the World Intellectual Property Organisation General Assembly this month.
EPO Still In Turmoil As Supervisory Body Backs Dismissal Of High-Level Staff 20/10/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The European Patent Organisation has been in turmoil for years facing serious staff dissent and complaints aimed at EPO President Benoît Battistelli of France. The EPO’s effort appears to have intensified in recent months, and on Friday the EPO Administrative Council, the agency’s supervisory body, announced an action to back Battistelli and endorsed a request for the dismissal of a high-level staff member. The action sent critics to new levels of criticism.
At WIPO, Panel Urges Women To Get Out Of Their Comfort Zones 20/10/2015 by Marianna Drake for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Panellists at a recent discussion on women and intellectual property proposed steps institutions and women themselves could take to increase the number of female entrepreneurs, in order for the IP system to benefit men and women equally.
“The Brain Is The Next Frontier,” Bioethics Futurist Says, Raising New Societal Challenges 19/10/2015 by Marianna Drake for Intellectual Property Watch 6 Comments At the recent TEDx CERN event, Intellectual Property Watch caught up with bioethicist and legal philosopher Matthew Liao, to reflect on challenging moral questions raised by new advances in computing and neuroscience allowing for the manipulation of human thoughts and memories. Liao reflected on whether we should use drugs and technology to erase traumatic memories, and if individuals have a moral obligation to themselves to remember certain events.