France Reaches Agreement With Gilead To Drop Prices Of Hepatitis C Treatment31/03/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 CommentsThe French Ministry of Social Affairs and Health announced today that the ministry has negotiated with pharmaceutical company Gilead to bring down the prices of hepatitis C medicines.
US Congress Considers Plan For Presidential Appointment Of Copyright Register31/03/2017 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 1 CommentLegislation authorising the president to appoint the Register of Copyright in the United States Copyright Office is working its way through Congress. The “Register of Copyrights Selection and Accountability Act” garnered strong bipartisan support in the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee as well as from the content community, but others fear it will politicise the […]
NGOs Detail Changes For Public Health In RCEP Asian Trade Pact31/03/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 CommentConcerns continue to grow among civil society about provisions in a major trade agreement in the Asian region. Of specific worry is the intellectual property chapter containing in particular a data exclusivity clause, and the linkage between the investment chapter and the IP chapter.
Funding Injection For New Antibiotics: The CARB-X Transatlantic Partnership30/03/2017 by Kim Treanor for Intellectual Property Watch 1 CommentA partnership of government agencies and organisations in the United States and United Kingdom have announced an investment of up to US$48 million into the development of new antibiotics and products to fight antibiotic resistant bacteria, with the aim of having two new antibiotics in human trials in the next five years.
WTO Job Opening For Legal Analyst On TRIPS Agreement30/03/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a CommentThe World Trade Organization has issued a call to hire a legal analyst specialised on intellectual property law, including the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).
17 Civil Society Groups Urge EU To Support WHO Resolution On Cancer30/03/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 CommentA range of civil society organisations today issued a letter to European Union leadership urging support for a World Health Organization resolution that mandates a feasibility study on a fund for cancer research and development that delinks R&D costs from the price of health technologies.
USPTO Director Lee Emerges From Silence, Praises Latin America For Joining Patenting Scheme29/03/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 CommentsThe director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Michelle Lee, today resurfaced after weeks of silence, speaking after the trilateral meeting of the US, European and Japan patent offices. Among her remarks was praise for Latin American countries for joining the Patent Prosecution Highway, which she said has already resulted in much faster patents in the region.
New Draft Work Programme On GIs At WIPO; Industrial Design Pushed To General Assembly29/03/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a CommentA tentative way to continue conversing about geographical indications (GIs) at the World Intellectual Property Organization committee on trademarks and GIs was tabled by the committee chair today. The suggested approach includes a questionnaire to member states on the different ways GIs are addressed by national and regional systems. Meanwhile, a potential design law treaty was pushed off to the next WIPO General Assembly, held in autumn.
Developing Countries Weigh Restarting Talks For TRIPS Amendment On Biological Resources29/03/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a CommentNEW DELHI, India — Biopiracy is ongoing in many developing countries, and as long as there are no international obligations for patent applicants to disclose the origin of the genetic resources or traditional knowledge they use, the issue will endure, according to speakers at a recent conference in New Delhi. The broken conversation at the World Trade Organization needs to be rekindled so that an international regime of protection is set up, they said.
Large Amount Of Consumer Tech Is Counterfeit, OECD Report Finds29/03/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 CommentsNearly 20 percent of mobile phones and 25 percent of video game consoles sold internationally are counterfeit, and the numbers are rising, according to a report by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
