E-Commerce Needs Special Rules, WTO The Place For It, Officials Say 31/10/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Electronic commerce is flourishing, but countries are not benefitting equally from this windfall. An event held this week at the World Trade Organization looked at the role of the WTO in the establishment of global rules for e-commerce, while WTO member states themselves disagree on the urgency to establish a new work programme, just weeks before the next WTO ministerial.
MSF Secures Deals For Key Hepatitis C Medicines, Price A Fraction Of Branded Drug 31/10/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF, Doctors Without Borders) announced today that it has secured deals for two key generic hepatitis C medicines, dropping prices dramatically.
Retail Giant Amazon Faces Pushback Over .Amazon Geographic Domain At ICANN Annual Meeting 30/10/2017 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments ABU DHABI, UAE — Government representatives from several countries in the Amazonas region clashed with a team of lawyers and communication officers of the global retailer Amazon over the top-level domain .amazon during the Annual Meeting of the Internet Corporation For Assigned Names Numbers (ICANN) in Abu Dhabi today.
New Worldwide Compilation Of GIs Launched: Helping To Bridge Two Approaches? 30/10/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Organization for an International Geographical Indications Network (oriGIn) launched a worldwide compilation of geographical indications today at the World Intellectual Property Organization. The compilation, which lists over 7,000 geographical indications, beyond providing a technical tool, is also presented as a tool of reconciliation.
UNCTAD Shows Role As Convenor On Investment In Antimicrobial Resistance 30/10/2017 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) this month gathered a wide range of key stakeholders to have a frank discussion about how to solve rising global resistance to existing antibiotics. While not a negotiation, stakeholders in the expert group opened up and shared perspectives, leading to some informal conclusions. Among them: more public and private investment, and a shift in the R&D system to new-style incentives, are needed.
WIPO Committee Meets Next Week To Discuss Country Name Trademarks, Icons, GIs 27/10/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization committee on trademark, industrial designs and geographical indications meets next week. Among the issues expected to be discussed are whether and how country names should be protected in trademark applications and on the internet. The committee also will consider again deepening its understanding of how GIs are protected at national and regional level, whether through trademarks or a sui generis system. And on the agenda next week is an information session on new technology designs, such as icons and type fonts used on internet, social media, smart phones and tablets.
A Look Back: Challenges Of Open Access In 2017 (An Industry Perspective) 27/10/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Suzanne Kavanagh writes: Over the course of the year, three issues repeatedly reared their heads as barriers to the successful implementation of Open Access: the burden of expected author OA expertise; the underutilization of metadata in the publication lifecycle, and the challenges posed to authors and institutions by one-off solutions. As the tenth Open Access Week draws to a close, with its focus on the concrete benefits of making scholarly research openly available, where have we gotten to in solving these problems and realizing the potential of OA?
Reaping The Benefits Of Artificial Intelligence 26/10/2017 by Guest contributor for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Your brand is everything in the global marketplace. It is no exaggeration to say that a business now lives and dies by both its offline, online and social reputation. Because of this, searching a trademark is more vital than ever before. It is important for trademark professionals to work faster and more effectively in searching, clearing and registering strong marks to ensure clients have a competitive advantage. To do so requires the merging of the old and new: the specific knowledge that only highly experienced trademark experts can provide, with the advantages of the latest wave of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, writes Ronda Majure.
FAO Calls On WTO Ministerial Conference To Protect Small Farmers 25/10/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment As the biennial World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference is drawing closer, a number of stakeholders are pushing for their priorities to be heard. For its part, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has called on WTO members to protect smallholder farmers.
Health Group Challenges Gilead Patents In The US On Grounds Of Lack Of Novelty 25/10/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 11 Comments A health advocacy group today announced that it has challenged a set of United States patents for a hepatitis C medicine. The group says drug maker Gilead Sciences has obtained unmerited patents for sofosbuvir, blocking millions of US patients from affordable treatment.
