Royalties Collection On Rise, Digital Income Catches Up With Physical, Report Says 27/10/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Royalty collection is on the rise, according to an international confederation of collecting societies, with Europe being the most fruitful market and North America showing the highest growth. Digital income now equals physical revenues from royalties, the report says, and performing rights account for the bulk of collections.
Plant Treaty Budget, Work Programme Approved; Farmers Concerned 26/10/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The treaty on plant genetic resources held its governing body meeting earlier this month with new initiatives to bring financial sustainability to the treaty, in particular to study the possibility of a subscription system to access the treaty’s plant genetic materials. Also, the Governing Body approved the first work programme of a global information system, which includes an initiative to enhance the use of gene bank materials, to the dismay of farmers’ organisations.
Special Report: WHO Advisory Group On Flu Preparedness Hears Comments, Addresses New Genetics Issue 22/10/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments World Health Organization members and stakeholders were invited to provide comments this month on the organisation’s framework to spur preparedness for future influenza pandemics and ensure treatments will reach developing countries. The framework is expected to undergo a review in 2016. The advisory group to the initiative also went through issues such as contributions by manufacturers, and how to deal with genetic sequence data.
Standards Needed For IP Value To Be Recognised By Banks, IP Offices Say 20/10/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Valuation of intellectual property is of growing importance to small and medium-sized enterprises in getting loans from financial institutions, IP office representatives said at a side event to the World Intellectual Property Organisation General Assembly this month.
WTO TRIPS Council Addresses Non-Violation, Paragraph 6 Drug Exports 15/10/2015 by William New and Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The World Trade Organization intellectual property committee today addressed exports of cheaper medicines, and disputes that could arise even when there is no WTO violation. Tomorrow it will decide the hot-button issue of how long least-developed countries have before they must comply with international IP trade rules – on which LDCs said today they are ready to talk about a deal.
WIPO Assembly Extends Talks On Traditional Knowledge, Design; Sets Policy For New Offices 15/10/2015 by Catherine Saez and William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Near dawn today, World Intellectual Property Organization members agreed to continue working in committee toward an international agreement or agreements on the protection of traditional knowledge, genetic resources and folklore, rescuing the committee for another two years. Members also agreed to hold a final treaty negotiation on a design law treaty in early 2017, but left differences on inclusion of disclosure of origin to later.
WIPO Assembly Agrees Budget For 2016/2017; Work Continues After Hours On Remaining Items 15/10/2015 by Catherine Saez and William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Member states of the World Intellectual Property Organization in a late-night session agreed on the budget for the UN agency for the next biennium after a deep debate over financing of a registration system for appellations of origin. Meanwhile, negotiators went back to work toward the early morning hours to finish outstanding issues of WIPO offices in other countries, the future of the traditional knowledge committee, and the program of the copyright committee.
Health Groups Urge EU Commission To Safeguard Access To Medicines In Developing Countries 14/10/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Health Action International (HAI) and Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF – Doctors without Borders) today issued a joint report on European Union commitments to safeguard access to medicines. Their report [pdf] comes in the context of the revision of the European Union’s trade and investment policy, released today.
Racing Against Time To Close On Difficult Issues At WIPO General Assembly 14/10/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment With hours to go before the end of the annual World Intellectual Property Organization General Assembly, delegates are trying to find last resort solutions on a range of remaining issues. Keeping WIPO members busy are: the adoption of the budget and a new plan for financing the Lisbon appellations of origin treaty, fate of the WIPO committee on genetic resources and traditional knowledge, the work of the copyright committee, and whether to mandate the final negotiation of an industrial design treaty.
European Council Backs LDC Extension At WTO 13/10/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The European Council has confirmed that it will support the request of least developed countries at the World Trade Organization for the extension of a waiver of intellectual property obligations for pharmaceutical products.