GSK “Open Innovation Agenda,” Possible Malaria Vaccine 20/01/2010 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment CEO Andrew Witty of UK pharmaceutical manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline today announced the launch of an agenda on “open innovation,” through which it promises increased flexibility over its intellectual property as well as partnerships in which its facilities, infrastructure, and actual chemical compounds are accessible to researchers. Last year, GSK caused a stir when it announced that […]
Chan Launches Inquest On Leaked WHO Documents; Meetings Proposed On R&D Expert Report 20/01/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments The first public discussion of an expert report on how to finance the often costly process of research and development to create new medicines, vaccines and diagnostics needed by the poor to address diseases that disproportionately effect them began this week at the World Health Organization. There were immediate concerns about the last-minute release of the report’s full text and concerns from several governments that it came up short on critical areas, and it was decided that an informal consultation process will take place over the next few months. Meanwhile, World Health Organization Director General Margaret Chan said she has already begun an investigation to find out who leaked drafts of the expert group’s work to an international industry group in December.
Full Report Of WHO R&D Expert Working Group Now Posted 15/01/2010 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The full text of a report by an expert working group under the auspices of the World Health Organization tasked with finding innovative ways to finance research and development for neglected diseases is now available from the WHO website here. An detailed executive summary of the report was published in late December (IPW, IP Burble, […]
WHO Board To Address R&D Financing, Influenza 14/01/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Finding financing to develop medicines for under-researched diseases, regulatory harmonisation, and pandemic influenza preparedness will top the agenda at next week’s World Health Organization Executive Board meeting.
Un pas de plus vers un traité OMPI en faveur des déficients visuels 11/01/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Plus de 95 pour cent des œuvres publiées ne sont pas adaptées aux personnes déficientes visuelles, ont indiqué leurs représentants la semaine dernière, à l’Organisation Mondiale de la Propriété Intellectuelle (OMPI). Ils soutiennent qu’un accord prévoyant des exceptions au droit d’auteur pourrait remédier à cette pénurie de livres, en levant les restrictions portées par le droit d’auteur à la traduction d’œuvres protégées dans des formats adaptés, et en partageant ces traductions au-delà des frontières nationales.
WHO Expert Report On R&D Financing Now Online 24/12/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment An expert working group under the auspices of the World Health Organization tasked with finding ways to finance research and development for diseases that disproportionately affect the poor has released its much-anticipated report. The report is available here [pdf]. After analysing over 90 different proposals, the working group has drawn up a short list of […]
New USTR Report On China WTO Compliance 24/12/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Office of the United States Trade Representative released 23 December a report to the US Congress concerning China’s compliance with its obligations under the World Trade Organization. It is available here. The report examines China’s commitments over a list of broad categories: trading rights, distribution services, import regulation, export regulation, internal policies affecting trade, […]
Microsoft Loses Key Patent Judgment 23/12/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Computer technology giant Microsoft has lost an appeal on a patent case that now could see the company withdrawing the current versions of two of its widely-used software programmes from the market. The dispute concerns a computer language for document programmes, called XML, that allows for the editing of certain structural information in a document. […]
Argentina Extends Music Copyright Term; Opposition Mounts 23/12/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The term of protection on sound recording for performers and producers has been extended in Argentina from 50 to 70 years, according to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI). The extension of the protection was supported by the Argentine Performers Association and the Argentine Music Industry Chamber (CAPIF). Javier Delupí, director of CAPIF, […]
Big Step Forward On Treaty For The Visually Impaired At WIPO 22/12/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Over ninety-five percent of printed works are in formats inaccessible to people with visual impairments, representatives of the visually impaired said last week at the World Intellectual Property Organization. An agreement to allow exceptions in copyright law, they argued, could address this “book famine” by removing copyright restrictions on translation of works into accessible formats and on sharing of these translations across national boundaries.