USPTO Invites Comments On Strategic Plan 09/07/2010 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The US Patent and Trademark Office announced today that its draft strategic plan for fiscal year 2010-2015 is available for public review and comment online. The aim of the strategic plan is to focus on patent and trademark quality and enhance the timeliness of both, and to provide “global and domestic leadership to improve intellectual […]
UN Biodiversity Talks Resume, Last Chance For Agreement Before October Deadline 09/07/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The last chance to complete discussions and reach an agreement on a draft protocol text on access and benefit-sharing is given to member parties of the UN Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) next week. The protocol is intended to provide a new international tool for governments against piracy of genetic resources.
Monsanto Soybean Patent Cannot Stretch To Processed Soy Meal, European Court Says 07/07/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments Yesterday, the European Court of Justice ruled in a case pitching Monsanto against European importers of Argentinean soy meal, denying the US seed giant intellectual property rights over the exports of soy meal from Argentina to the European Union.
US Economist: US Financial Patents Litigation-Prone; Low Quality Makes Them Easy Targets 01/07/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Filing of financial patents seems to be on a parallel upward trend with litigation in the United States, with large companies being prime targets, and individual or small entities owning the patents, according to a well-known US economist. This could be the consequence of low quality patents being granted, he said.
ACTA A Sign Of Weakness In Multilateral System, WIPO Head Says 30/06/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 6 Comments The plurilateral Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) and other such regional negotiations are a “bad development” for multilateral agencies, the World Intellectual Property Organization director general has told Intellectual Property Watch.
No Decision On WIPO Treaty For Blind Persons Misses ‘Golden Opportunity’ 26/06/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 12 Comments Member states at the World Intellectual Property Organization late Thursday night were unable to reach agreement on a draft chair’s conclusions text summarising a four-day WIPO copyright committee meeting, crashing the prospect of swift progress on improving international access to literary material for the visually impaired.
High Expectations This Week For Progress On Exceptions And Limitations At WIPO 22/06/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Limitations and exceptions are once again a major topic at the UN intellectual property organisation’s meeting on copyrights and related rights. Delegations this week are discussing several draft proposals to improve access, in particular for visually impaired people, each with their own set of recommendation. With a fourth and new proposal from the African countries on the table, delegates are meeting to try to find common ground, raising the expectations of civil society.
Comparative Analysis Shows US Patent Office Scores Poorly On Patent Quality 18/06/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Quality across patent systems has been understudied but a new methodology put forward by the former chief economist of the European Patent Office suggests that the EPO provides higher quality services than its United States and Japan counterparts. Efforts at collaborative work between patent offices are being made but mutual recognition might not be possible or desirable without some harmonisation in the way the different systems operate.
Questions Arise On Value Of GIs For Poor Countries; Register Stuck At WTO 14/06/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments While World Trade Organization members met with their usual stasis last week on a mandated register for geographical indications, industry proponents of GIs continued lobbying to raise the awareness of delegates of countries not historically concerned with this form of intellectual property protection.
Health Waiver, IP Enforcement Discussed At Lively WTO TRIPS Council Meeting 10/06/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments After two days of lively discussion, members of a World Trade Organization committee this week agreed to devote a day in October to an in-depth discussion on a waiver to WTO intellectual property rules aimed at boosting access to medicines for poor countries. In addition, some member countries presented concerns about the possible effect of a global enforcement push by developed countries and the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) under negotiation outside WTO, while ACTA proponent countries sought to allay fears.