In Biotech Industry, Cash Flow Fears And Patent Questions 27/02/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Patent reform, universal health care, and intellectual property rights protection of new health and environmental technologies are critical not only for the biotechnology industry but for improvements in public health, the president of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) said Thursday.
Innovation Policy: The Balance Between Standards and Patent Regulation 26/02/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 11 Comments By Georg Greve Interconnectivity, commoditisation and increased reuse and recombination are key trends within the maturing information and communication technologies (ICT) industry that drive innovation and development. Harnessing the innovative and economic potential of the ICT sector depends on a variety of factors, including open innovation models, such as free software.
Business Lobby On IP, US Commerce Secretary Nominee 26/02/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Gary Locke, the former governor of Washington State, is the latest pick of US President Obama for Commerce Secretary. The US Chamber of Commerce, a business lobby group based in Washington, DC, has reviewed his record on intellectual property. Posted on their blog, the review lists past actions by Locke on IP enforcement, primarily to […]
Path Forward For UN-Led Internet Governance Forum Discussed 26/02/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment That there will be a future for the international Internet Governance Forum seems likely, though the form its future incarnation will take is not. Delegates to an open consultation on internet governance this week began to sort out some base modalities on how to evaluate the progress of the United Nations-led discussion venue, as a deadline approaches to decide whether and how the group will continue.
Enforcement, Creative R&D Financing Priority Issues For Public Health in 2009 25/02/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The number and intensity of debates over the role of intellectual property rights in public health is set to increase in 2009. New leadership and new mandates for key intergovernmental organisations implemented last year have created opportunity for change. And while old debates over the balance between IP rights and access to health products are not going away, this year will see more exploration at the intergovernmental level of different systems to stimulate innovation.
Pandemic Flu Vaccine Capacity Increasing, But Not Enough 24/02/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Capacity to make vaccines needed to respond to pandemic influenza has increased 300 percent, according to collaborative study [pdf] by the World Health Organization (WHO) and the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA) released Tuesday. However, it has not increased enough to meet global need in the actual case of a global pandemic. […]
Industry Pushes For Biosimilars Approval Process; Some IGOs Take Notice 24/02/2009 by Kiernan A. Murphy for Intellectual Property Watch and Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Key players in the biotechnology industry are leading an effort to obtain global approval processes for generic biological medicines, which experts say could provide cheaper access to costly but widely prescribed and promising treatments.
Questions On Social Content Ownership After Facebook Policy Changes 23/02/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment As the world becomes increasingly digitised, the question of who owns the uploaded pieces of people’s lives — their photographs, their missives to friends, their posted musings and blog entries — is clearly an issue capable of generating a lot of passion. This was powerfully evidenced last week when popular social networking site Facebook changed […]
Sri Lanka Seeks GI Protection For Ceylon Tea 20/02/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The Sri Lanka Tea Board, will seek intellectual property protection for Ceylon tea (which takes its title from a former name of the island nation), according to a business news source from the country. Protection is sought under the World Trade Organization Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights Agreement rules on geographical indications, or product […]
GlaxoSmithKline CEO Calls For Patent Pool 13/02/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Andrew Witty, CEO of pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline, said in a speech Friday at Harvard Medical School that GSK will contribute to a patent pool intended to increase innovation on medicines for neglected diseases. A Reuters story on the event is available here.