UNESCO Report Backs Right To Encryption In ‘Golden Age Of Surveillance’ 13/12/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The United Nations Economic, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) has released a report on encryption, taking the perspective of human rights.
EU, Canada Meet To Discuss A New Model For Investor-State Trade Disputes 13/12/2016 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The European Commission and the Canadian government today and tomorrow are hosting a first meeting for talks on a new multilateral investment court. Such a court could, the European Commission explained in an announcement, become the follow-up mechanism for the existing investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) provisions that are part of 3,200 bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements around the world.
WIPO Patent Committee Asked To Discuss UN High Level Report On Access To Medicines 13/12/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization patent law committee is a unique international forum where discussions about the patent system are held. The committee meeting this week is a display of different views of developed and developing countries on how the patent system is expected to meet their needs.
US Supreme Court Declines To Hear Biologic Drug Patent Fight 13/12/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The US Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a case over whether companies that make copycat versions of biologic drugs must wait six months after winning federal approval before bringing them to the market.
UAEM Targets Accessible Medicines, R&D Financing, Publicly Funded Research 13/12/2016 by Alexandra Nightingale for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment From extracurricular creativity to global campaigns, Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM) continues in its activities to raise awareness and explore how universities can best direct their research and innovations towards promoting global access to medicines. In the next year, UAEM will extend its national and international campaigns to address the high prices of medicines, continue to gather support for a global agreement on research and development and build on the mapping alternative R&D initiatives.
A Look At The UNAIDS Board Debate On IP And Medicines; Outcome Fell Short For Some 12/12/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The discussion on intellectual property-related barriers to access to medicines was one of the most contentious points of the 39th meeting of the UNAIDS governing board last week. After hours of negotiations, the board agreed that the organisation will keep working on the issue. But developing countries and civil society would have preferred a stronger mandate, according to representatives.
UN Study: GIs Could Open New Markets For Poor Countries If Financing, Training Provided 12/12/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A new study by the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) finds that geographical indications could open the way to lucrative export markets for least-developed countries. The study calls for UN agencies to support those countries in their effort to develop GIs and diversify their exports, but warns about the need for capacity building and financial help, and raises biodiversity concerns of GI intensification.
Internet Governance Forum: Embarking On Post-IANA Transition And Taking On Trade 12/12/2016 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The first edition of the renewed Internet Governance Forum (IGF) last week tried its all not to become just another internet governance conference, with new formats and the taking on of one big topic that so far had evaded the “multi-stakeholder” approach: trade negotiations. But it also angered some by making its big dinner an invitation-only event, for governments and friends.
UNAIDS Board Carries Forward Multi-Agency Work On IP Barriers To Medicines Access 09/12/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A meeting of the Board of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has concluded with a set of decisions (attached) showing that the Board went farther than just noting the UNAIDS secretariat report on intellectual property-related barriers preventing access to medicines. And the Board, after lengthy discussions, also called on UNAIDS to facilitate discussions on the high-profile report of the United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel for Access to Medicines.
Open Source Software A Core Competency For Effective Tech M&A 09/12/2016 by Guest contributor for Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments Imagine your company just acquired its competitor for $100 million. Now imagine the company’s most important asset – its proprietary software – is subject to third-party license conditions that require the proprietary software to be distributed free of charge or in source code form. Or, imagine these license conditions are discovered late in the diligence process, and the cost to replace the offending third-party software will costs tens of thousands of dollars and take months to remediate. Both scenarios exemplify the acute, distinct and often overlooked risks inherent to the commercial use of open source software. An effective tech M&A attorney must appreciate these risks and be prepared to take the steps necessary to mitigate or eliminate them.