EPO Reports Record Volume Of Patents, Seeks To Assure Quality 07/03/2018 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The European Patent Office today issued statistics which it claimed show the continued ascendance of Europe as a premier destination for patenting, not only from European countries. The statistics focus strongly on the increased volume of patents filed and granted, which it argued is a result of the office’s focus on “efficiency and quality” and a boost to innovation.
Investor Protection Clauses In Bilateral Trade Agreements Take A Hit In EU 06/03/2018 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Investor protection clauses in bilateral trade agreements between European Union member states were declared incompatible with EU law in a judgment by the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg today.
Pharma, Nonprofits Collaborate On Affordable Hepatitis C Treatment In Latin America 06/03/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Drugs for Neglected Disease initiative (DNDi), a nonprofit research and development organisation, today announced a collaboration with pharmaceutical companies and other nonprofits to manufacture and supply a “new, more affordable” hepatitis C treatment in Latin America. Hepatitis C medicines have been renowned for their high prices worldwide.
Early Certainty Initiative Of The European Patent Office – Flexibility For Biotech Needed 06/03/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments In 2016, the European Patent Office (EPO) introduced a streamlined opposition procedure that should simplify opposition proceedings and deliver decisions faster, while giving parties more time to react to summons and prepare for oral proceedings. This new initiative, called early certainty, aimed to cut down the overall duration of granting new patents and to tackle the backlog in patent granting within the EPO, writes Michael Kahnert.
Today – UN Human Rights Council To Hear Rapporteur’s Report On Government Surveillance Online 06/03/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The United Nations Human Rights Council today (6 March) is expected to hear a report on government surveillance to be presented by the UN special rapporteur on the right to privacy. The report calls for the urgent development of a comprehensive legal framework on privacy and surveillance in cyberspace.
USTR Lighthizer To NAFTA Partners: Step Up Pace Or Lose Window Of Opportunity 06/03/2018 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer warned his Mexican and Canadian counterparts today (5 March) that if they don’t quickly pick up the pace of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) renegotiations, they will face “headwinds” from elections in all three countries. And if they can’t progress, the US is prepared to proceed bilaterally.
USPTO To Reveal New Design For Patents This Week 06/03/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) will make public the new design for patents this week at the South by Southwest (SXSW) Interactive Festival in Austin, Texas. The new design will first be used on patent number 10 million, expected to issue this year. There have fewer than 12 basic design changes to the US patent since President George Washington granted the first patent in 1790, and only two in the last 100 years, USPTO said.
Tough Talk On Transatlantic Privacy, Once Again 05/03/2018 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The EU Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, Věra Jourová, ahead of her US visit announced “a tough tone” on remaining gaps in the implementation of the privacy shield, the arrangement that allows to transfers of data of EU citizens to the United States. Speaking before the EU Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties (LIBE), Jourová said while she had heard the privacy shield was not a priority of the US administration, “it will be a priority, if we make clear that we will suspend the system if it doesn’t work,” adding, “My patience is coming to an end.”
A Look At The Role Of Governments, Universities, Science In Health Innovation & Access 05/03/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Intellectual property rights, particularly patents, are considered by some as being a barrier in access to medicines despite being a stimulus for innovation. At a recent symposium co-organised by the World Health Organization, World Trade Organization and World Intellectual Property Organization, speakers also talked about the role of science, governments, and universities in health innovation and access, and how to address challenges such as secondary patents.
Protecting And Promoting Copyright Balance In NAFTA 04/03/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The ongoing NAFTA renegotiation presents a prime opportunity to move the ball on protecting and promoting general public interest copyright exceptions. All three countries have such exceptions to varying degree. And all three are under threat from an agenda to cabin their use through international law. NAFTA negotiators can and should include the best models from prior international agreements that protect and promote the ability of countries to have general exceptions, writes Professor Sean Flynn.