Rise Of Global Value Chains Propels Intangible Capital Revenues, WIPO Report Says 20/11/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A World Intellectual Property Organization report released today shows the growing global importance of intangible capital and its share in the value of end products. The report does not however provide a geographical repartition of this value, nor who actually owns the returns on intangible capital. Three case studies shed light on different production areas: coffee, smart phones, and solar panels.
Studies Presented At WIPO To Better Understand Limitations To Copyright 17/11/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment With no consensus on conducting normative work at the World Intellectual Property Organization on the limitations to copyright for certain actors such as persons with disabilities, educational institutions, and museums, the committee on copyright had agreed on several studies so the issues are better understood. This week, several of those studies were presented to the committee and shed some further light on the issues.
New Proposal At WIPO On Exceptions To Broadcasting Rights 16/11/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments While World Intellectual Property Organization delegates held informal closed consultations at the beginning of this week on a potential treaty protecting rights of broadcasting organisations from signal theft and piracy, a group of Latin American countries has proposed language on limitations and exceptions to these rights.
Copyright Exceptions For Libraries Widespread, Study At WIPO Shows, But Disharmony Persists 15/11/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments Nobody among members of the World Intellectual Property Organization disputes the importance of the public services provided by libraries and archives. However, positions are different when it comes to providing exceptions to copyright to those entities so they can continue to dispense their services, in particular in the digital age. An updated study presented today in a WIPO committee shows that most countries have exceptions relating to libraries, but termed in very different ways, and are hesitant on how to deal with digital technologies.
New Draft Action Plans On Copyright Limitations And Exceptions At WIPO 13/11/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments The World Intellectual Property Organization has grasped the nettle after years of discussion on the issue of limitations and exceptions to copyright, and provided draft action plans, one each for libraries, archives, museums, educational research institutions, and persons with other disabilities than sight impairment. The plans, being discussed in this week’s committee meeting, include brainstorming sessions, studies, and regional seminars, and conferences to advance understanding and issues related to copyright for those particular actors.
First Consultations Held On WHO Pandemic Flu Framework Options 10/11/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The World Health Organization is consulting member states and stakeholders on the future of its mechanism to help prepare the world for the next influenza pandemic. It is particularly asking whether countries should submit not only the biological samples of their influenza viruses, but also their genetic information through the mechanism. Also in question is whether the mechanism should be extended to cover seasonal influenza. Stakeholders had different views but all questioned the absence of recognition by the WHO of a widely used database currently hosting most of the world’s influenza genetic information.
WIPO Vaccines Report Contestable, With UN High-Level Panel Misquoted, Advocate Says 10/11/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization this week held an event that delved into research, markets and access for vaccines with panels that showed unusual breadth of representation for the UN IP agency. But health advocates have taken issue with the wording of a report released by WIPO at the event.
WIPO Hosts Widely Represented Discussion On Vaccine Innovation And Access 09/11/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A well-represented set of experts this week held discussions on the current situation of access to vaccines, the market, the role of pharmaceutical companies, and partnerships. Vaccines were not a field much affected by patents in the past, but the situation has changed and new vaccines are now covered by intellectual property, which might constitute a barrier to access, according to speakers.
South Centre: Clear Rules Needed On Biosimilars Equivalence To Help Market Entry, Lower Prices 09/11/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment As soon as 2022, biological drugs made from active protein substances are expected to make up 50 percent of the pharmaceutical market, as they are increasingly used to treat a number of illnesses such as diabetes, cancer and hepatitis. But with the high price of therapeutics and difficulty in producing biologically similar products, and with the originator products now coming off patent, regulation is of high importance, says a new report from the intergovernmental South Centre.
Geneva Buzzing With Ideas And Events For International Entrepreneurship Week 09/11/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A weeklong event next week has been co-organised and sponsored by a number of Geneva actors, such as the World Intellectual Property Organization, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), and the University of Geneva, as well as lesser known groups and projects, to celebrate the international week of entrepreneurship.