Patent Meeting Debates Linkages With Development; Exceptions & Limitations 24/03/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Questions on how to best to link patent law and development issues led the opening discussion at this week’s World Intellectual Property Organization meeting on patent law. A WIPO study on exceptions and limitations was discussed Monday and Tuesday, with talk turning towards whether a third party examination of the issue was needed.
Parties Accept WTO Dispute Settlement Report On China IP Protection 24/03/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A final decision on a World Trade Organization case over intellectual property rights protection between China and the United States was accepted by the states Friday, with both claiming its arbiter had affirmed their positions.
DRM Thwarts Gordon Brown’s Effort To Enjoy Gift From Barack Obama 20/03/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments United Kingdom Prime Minister Gordon Brown was not able to watch the classic American movies presented to him by President Barack Obama thanks to digital rights management technologies, reported the UK press. The technology used in this particular case restricts the part of the world in which a DVD will play – the DVDs purchased […]
WIPO Patent Committee To Consider Four New Reports, Global Challenges 20/03/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The committee on patents at the World Intellectual Property Organization is set to be re-energised next week as it tackles four new reports, and addresses an ongoing question of the relationship of patent rights to wider policy issues on climate change and other environmental issues, public health, and food security.
Agricultural Technology Could Feed Rising Population, But Who Will Own Crops? 20/03/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch and Catherine Saez 3 Comments The genetic revolution has come to food, as debates over how to deal with future pressures of population and climate change look to agricultural technology in hope of answers. But questions still remain over who owns the technology, who will do the research, and what forms of – and even whether – biotechnology is appropriate to human needs and the needs of smallholding farmers.
Concerns As Australia Censors Wikileaks Page 18/03/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Outcry from concerned internet users over Australia’s attempts to censor ‘objectionable’ parts of the web has grown this week as internet-based depository for leaked documents Wikileaks reported that one of its pages is now banned in Australia. The page in question, a list of nearly 4,000 websites censored by the Danish government, was submitted to […]
UN Agency Issues Guidelines Urging Curbs On Online Pharmacies 17/03/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The International Narcotics Control Board, which implements United Nations drug control conventions, has released a set of guidelines they say will help governments prevent the sale of controlled substances online. “Internet pharmacies can be accessed by anyone, anywhere who happens to be online,” observed INCB’s president, Hamid Ghodse. The concern is that such places are […]
New Medical Technologies Bring New IP Challenges 17/03/2009 by Catherine Saez and Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment LYON, FRANCE – At the cutting edge of medical technology lie new hopes for patients, but also serious ethical concerns and potential intellectual property snags. Read More…
$4.7 Billion For Broadband Opportunities In US 16/03/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Rural and underserved areas in the United States will have US $4.7 billion to improve their access to broadband technologies. Some of the funds are earmarked for specific purposes — $250 million will go to sustainable adoption of broadband, for instance, and $200 million will go towards improving technological capacity at libraries, community colleges and […]
New Thinking On Biotech Patents From Industry Groups 13/03/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment LYON, FRANCE – A new level of willingness to cooperate on major public health initiatives may indicate increased convergence in goals between large pharmaceutical companies and patient advocacy groups, particularly when addressing neglected diseases, a panel at an international life sciences conference said Monday.