WIPO Traditional Knowledge Committee Opens With Hope For Text-Based Talks 03/05/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Negotiators at the World Intellectual Property Organization this week will address longstanding efforts by many WIPO members to begin in earnest text-based negotiations for a tool to better protect traditional knowledge and genetic resources.
Coordination Mechanism Adopted For WIPO Development Agenda Implementation 01/05/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A mechanism to watch the continuing implementation of development-oriented principles into the World Intellectual Property Organization’s work has now been found. For many, the Development Agenda is the most important agreement in WIPO’s recent past, and the mechanism – which will monitor, assess and report on its implementation – was a critical area of importance in ensuring it reaches its full potential.
US Annual IP Enforcement Report Released 30/04/2010 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment An annual report from the Office of the United States Trade Representative on how well it considers other countries to be protecting and enforcing American intellectual property rights is now available. The so-called Special 301 report can be read here [pdf]. This year it praises several recent initiatives to strengthen IP internationally, including the Anti-Counterfeiting […]
Negotiators Begin To Find Common Ground In WIPO IP Development Talks 30/04/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A coordination mechanism and a project on transfer of technology will dominate much of the last day of the World Intellectual Property Organization Committee on Development and Intellectual Property, but with two new projects approved the group has already made progress this week, according to sources.
US Announces 25 New IP Enforcement Positions 27/04/2010 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Fifteen new Assistant US Attorneys and 20 new Special Agents at the US Federal Bureau of Investigation dedicated to combatting “domestic and international IP crimes” were announced yesterday. The new attorneys are a part of the US Justice Departments Computer Hacking and Intellectual Property programme. The FBI agents will be located with “intellectual property squads” […]
New WIPO Development Agenda Group Seeks Transformation Of UN Agency 26/04/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch and William New 2 Comments Ongoing efforts to implement the 2007 Development Agenda at the World Intellectual Property Organization took another twist today as a new group was launched representing developing countries seeking full transformation of the United Nations body toward a development-oriented perspective on intellectual property issues.
New WHO Faces On IP, Innovation; Matsoso Named South Africa Health Director 23/04/2010 by William New and Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Health Organization’s team on issues of intellectual property and innovation in public health is seeing changes in key personnel, as implementation of the UN health agency’s plan on IP and innovation hits its stride. Malebona Precious Matsoso has been named Director General of Health for South Africa.
Panellists See Critical Moment For International Policy On Biodiversity And Trade 23/04/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Negotiations to protect and preserve biodiversity are in a delicate place, as proponents of stronger protection attempt to navigate parallel discussions at different intergovernmental agencies.
Obama Administration Tells Senate It Supports Patent Reform Changes 21/04/2010 by Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The Obama administration supports changes to the United States patent reform bill, said US Secretary of Commerce Gary Locke in a letter sent late yesterday to members of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The amendments in question would allow the US Patent and Trademark Office to adjust fees to cover the actual costs of patent processing […]
Panel Dissects Future Challenges Of WHO Budget, Administration 21/04/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Health Organization needs to streamline its functions and make more space for civil society, and international health systems must be strengthened in order to achieving public health goals, said panellists at this week’s Geneva Health Forum.