WIPO African Ministerial Should Embrace A Pro-Competitive And Pro-Development IP Vision 14/10/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Ahmed Abdel-Latif , Dick Kawooya, Chidi Oguamanam Note: this article first appeared as: WIPO African ministerial should embrace a pro-competitive and pro-development IP vision, 4 October 2015, BRIDGES AFRICA An African ministerial meeting, organised by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the Japan Patent Office (JPO), to be held in Senegal next November […]
Argentina: Bill To Expand Copyright On Photographs To Life-Plus-70 Years Introduced In Argentine Congress 13/10/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Maximiliano Marzetti writes: Bill No. 2517-D-2015, presented by Liliana Mazure, Gloria Bidegain, Susana Canela, Gastón Harispe, Héctor Recalde and Eduardo Seminara, was introduced to the Argentine Congress to reform the Argentine Copyright Act (Law No. 11.723) in order to extend copyright over photographic works to life plus 70 years post mortem auctoris. The current period of protection for photographs in Argentina is 20 years since publication (article 34). In case the bill is passed it will have retroactive effect, i.e. photographs that today are in the public domain will revert to private property.
European Council Backs LDC Extension At WTO 13/10/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The European Council has confirmed that it will support the request of least developed countries at the World Trade Organization for the extension of a waiver of intellectual property obligations for pharmaceutical products.
WIPO Assembly Still Divided On Normative Work On Traditional Knowledge 13/10/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Discussions on the future of the World Intellectual Property Organization committee on traditional knowledge and genetic resources are heating up as some developed countries seek to delay normative work for the next biennium and favour information sessions, and developing countries are eager to go back to discussion on actual treaty texts.
A New Model For IP: Interview With Ecuador IP Office Director Hernán Núñez Rocha 13/10/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Ecuador is preparing a new intellectual property policy that aims to better suit the country’s strategic development. On the occasion of the World Intellectual Property Organization General Assembly, Hernán Núñez Rocha, head of the Ecuadorian IP office sat with Intellectual Property Watch to talk about the country’s work on the IP policy and its use of IP as a tool for local development. He also explained Ecuador’s position on the WIPO committee on traditional knowledge.
WTO TRIPS Council To Decide On LDC Pharma Extension, Non-Violation Complaints 13/10/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The intellectual property committee of the World Trade Organization is meeting this week with a full agenda. The highlight of the agenda is the extension of a waiver allowing least developed countries to choose not to enforce intellectual property rights on pharmaceutical products. Also high on the agenda is a decision on whether to extend a moratorium banning IP from complaints not linked to any breached WTO agreement, and the annual review of special compulsory licence for exporting pharmaceutical products.
WIPO Reports On Domain Name Disputes, Sets New Targets 12/10/2015 by Marianna Drake for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization has seen increased activity in its work on arbitration and mediation of disputes, including domain names, and has proposed new targets for the coming biennium.
Resale Right Should Be Added To WIPO Copyright Committee, Authors Say 12/10/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Resale right, which refers to royalties that visual artists can claim on the resale of their work by art dealers, should be discussed at the World Intellectual Property Organization, according to an international association of authors. An international harmonised framework does not currently exist.
G7 Health Ministers Propose Incentives For New Antibiotics, Commit Help On Ebola 12/10/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The health ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) most developed countries have issued a declaration on antimicrobial resistance and Ebola. The governments said they would explore innovative economic incentives to promote research and development of new antibiotics, such as a global antibiotic research fund and a market entry reward mechanism.
WTO Paper Could Spark New Ideas On TRIPS Special Compulsory Licence For Medicines Export 12/10/2015 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments A carefully agreed 2003 waiver from international intellectual property trade rules to allow export of medicines made under compulsory licence to benefit needy countries has been quietly implemented by a large number of World Trade Organization members, according to a new analytical paper from the WTO. The analysis explores the limited use of the waiver to date and how the situation has changed since then, providing grist for a potential fresh look at the provision at this week’s annual WTO review of IP and public health.