Last-Minute Progress Made On Pandemic Flu; More Still To Come 15/12/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Kaitlin Mara Significant strides were made at last week’s World Health Organization meeting on pandemic influenza preparedness, as assembled delegates searched for – and found – a way to satisfy member states’ differing views on the need for access to viruses and related biological materials and the need for access to vaccines and other […]
WHO Members Slow To Bridge Disagreements At Pandemic Flu Meeting 11/12/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Kaitlin Mara Four days into one-week “critical” negotiations on pandemic influenza preparedness, World Health Organization members had yet to tackle areas of core disagreement and participants were expressing doubt as to whether consensus can be achieved by week’s end. Details on the definition of “Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Biological Materials,” on the content of […]
Technology, IP Vital To Addressing Climate Change, UN Meeting Hears 11/12/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Kaitlin Mara Finding a balance between needed incentives for innovation and equally needed affordable access to new technology is necessary to combat ecological challenges, yet striking it may prove difficult as countries at the United Nations’ talks on climate change struggle to determine what action is possible in the midst of a global economic […]
WHO Renews Delicate Effort On Pandemic Influenza Virus-Sharing 08/12/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Kaitlin Mara An avian influenza outbreak would be a public health disaster, but for the World Health Organization to adequately prepare for that risk, member states must come to a resolution on intellectual property issues related to virus and vaccine sharing. They hope to do so this week, as the Intergovernmental Meeting on Pandemic […]
WTO: Progress On IP At Last; Consensus Still Uncertain 05/12/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Kaitlin Mara Delegates negotiating on intellectual property issues at the World Trade Organization were able to set aside procedural debates Friday and focus on substantive technical issues in the body tasked with creating a multilateral register for geographical indications on wines and spirits. The European Union, in a marathon intervention, provided answers to over […]
WTO IP Negotiations Lengthen As New Questions Put On Table 05/12/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Kaitlin Mara The body at the World Trade Organization tasked with negotiating a multilateral register for geographically-named wines and spirits began what could be several days of meetings Thursday with a question and answer session meant to find common understanding, but instead revealed just how deep the divide remains between the two sides. Sixty-one […]
Discussions Continue In Informal WTO Special Session On GI Register 02/12/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Kaitlin Mara The World Trade Organization body mandated to discuss a registry for geographical indications met Monday, with the only resulting agreement being to meet again later this week for further, more technical, discussions. Several ambassadors were present at the meeting, according to sources, indicating that in the lead-up to a possible ministerial this […]
WTO IP Discussion In Question With Possible Ministerial On Horizon 28/11/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Kaitlin Mara Delegates are buckling down on key negotiating issues in the final days they have to decide whether or not there can be a high-level meeting of government ministers in December, and intellectual property-related issues appear still to be at an impasse with another IP meeting scheduled for Monday. While negotiations on agriculture […]
Push For TRIPS Changes Reaches Highest Level At WTO As Meetings Intensify 21/11/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Kaitlin Mara Proponents of amending the World Trade Organization intellectual property agreement to increase protection for biodiversity and for geographically-specific products are insisting Director General Pascal Lamy himself lead the process for resolving the issues. Meetings on intellectual property issues have been held periodically throughout the week, including Friday, and will continue next week, […]
Ministers, Stakeholders Meet In Mali To Strategise On Health Research Systems 20/11/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Kaitlin Mara Ministers of health, science and technology, and social development met this week with scientific researchers and representatives from foundations, the private sector and civil society to discuss the future of research for health on diseases disproportionately affecting the developing world. “Data matters, and the sharing of data matters,” Mark Walport, director of […]