Expert Group Meets Ahead Of This Week’s WIPO Genetic Resources Negotiations 22/06/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment An expert group is meeting Sunday at the World Intellectual Property Organization, on the eve of a weeklong session of the WIPO committee on genetic resources and traditional knowledge. The expert group will address the most divisive issues in the discussions of the committee in charge of finding solutions to protect genetic resources, traditional knowledge and folklore against misuse and misappropriation.
On Questionable Legal Basis, US Court Expands Range Of Patentable Inventions 21/06/2018 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment For more than a decade, the United States has been making it harder to obtain patents. A series of court rulings have steadily restricted the types of inventions that are patent-eligible. The tide, however, may be now turning. The Federal Circuit’s recent decision in Vanda Pharmaceuticals v. West-Ward Pharmaceuticals has opened the way to many future patents on biotech and personalized medicine. The ruling is a big step forward for the biotech and medical industries, and perhaps for patients seeking better medical care. But there’s a catch. Vanda could be overturned because it conflicts with the US Supreme Court’s 2012 decision in Mayo Collaborative Services v. Prometheus Laboratories.
Data Localization (Nearly) Banned In EU 21/06/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The European Parliament, Council and European Commission on 19 June cut a deal on a new regulation on the free flow of non-personal data. The regulation, which is expected to pass the final votes in Parliament and Council without further issue, is a European answer to concerns over potential data localization obligations, which came into some demand following the Snowden revelations about intelligence services hoovering data from netizens.
EU Copyright Reform Proposal Clears Lead Legislative Committee, To Cheers And Jeers 20/06/2018 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The European Parliament Legal Affairs Committee (JURI) adopted its report on the European Commission-proposed copyright in the digital single market directive yesterday. The vote, by the lead committee vetting the proposal, sparked a continuation of the acrimonious debate that has raged for many months over several controversial provisions: The creation of a new right for online publishers and a requirement that Internet platforms monitor users’ uploads for copyright infringements. The narrow majority that approved the report by German Member of the European Parliament (MEP) Axel Voss, of the European People’s Party, “suggests that the struggle is still long,” telecom consultant Innocenzo Genna blogged.
The Myth Of IP Incentives For All Nations – Q&A With Carlos Correa 20/06/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch 15 Comments Dr Carlos Maria Correa, an Argentinian economist and lawyer, is globally renowned for his expertise on international trade, intellectual property, health, technology transfer, investment policy and especially their impact on developing countries. He has authored several books and academic articles and been a visiting professor at several universities. Additionally, he has consulted with many United Nations agencies, the World Bank, and other regional and international organisations and has advised several governments on intellectual property, innovation policy and public health. Correa was a member of the UK Commission on Intellectual Property, of the Commission on Intellectual Property, Innovation and Public Health established by the World Health Assembly and of the FAO Panel of Eminent Experts on Ethics in Food and Agriculture. Currently, he is the Director of the Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies on Industrial Property and Economics Law, at the University of Buenos Aires. He takes over as the Executive Director of the Secretariat of the Geneva-based South Centre from 1 July 2018. Correa recently engaged in an interview with Patralekha Chatterjee for Intellectual Property Watch. [Note: this interview is number two of two. The first was with Dr Othoman Mellouk.]
South Korea First Country To Adopt WIPO’s AI Translation Tool 20/06/2018 by Gaensly Joseph for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment South Korea has become the first country to adopt a groundbreaking patent translating tool developed by the World Intellectual Property Organization.
WIPO Workshop Looks At Potential Impact Of Reducing Patent Fees For Universities 19/06/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization’s main financial resource is from the global patent treaty it manages, allowing inventors to file international patent applications and gain protection in a large number of countries. WIPO members have been debating for some time whether universities should benefit from a fee reduction, in particular those from developing countries to encourage patent filing. A workshop held at WIPO this week pondered whether a fee reduction would lead to more patenting of inventions by universities. The answer is apparently not clear-cut.
MSF Challenges Gilead Hepatitis C Patent In China 19/06/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF, Doctors Without Borders) filed a patent challenge at the China State Intellectual Property Office today, asking for the invalidation of a Gilead patent on a hepatitis C medicine.
EPO Staff, Users List Priorities For Incoming President 19/06/2018 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment As the European Patent Office (EPO) prepares to welcome a new president, staff members and patent practitioners are setting out their priorities and suggestions for the newcomer, António Campinos. Topping the list for patent examiners is ending the contentious relationship between management and employees. Patent attorneys and litigators, meanwhile, want to see more attention paid to creating a fair balance between the speed of patent grants and patent quality.
Прекратить неавторизованный доступ к генетическим ресурсам (а именно, Биопиратство): принцип ограниченной открытости 19/06/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment «Доступ к генетическим ресурсам» и «справедливое и честное распределение выгод от их использования» были камнем предкновения на всех тринадцати Конференциях сторон-участников Соглашения Организации Объединенных Наций от 1993 года о Биологическом разнoобразии (CBD). Слова в кавычках составляют третью задачу договора, которая переплетена с двумя первыми, а именно с задачей консервации и устойчивого использования. По первым буквам английского названия эта задача сокращенно обозначается как «ABS». Несмотря на 25 лет усилий и при размерах био-экономики порядка 1 триллиона долларов [1], было заключено немного контрактов [2]. И в этом малом количестве контрактов денежная часть так незначительна, что их участники не пожелали ее обнародовать. «Закон ABS Бразилии» от 2015, который вошел в силу 6 ноября 2017, позволяет чтобы отчисления от суммы продаж составляли всего одну десятую процента[3]. Используя выражение известного ученого-законоведа, потребитель платит «пшик» авторам биоресурсов.