Bird Flu Pandemic Priority For WHO Board As Nations Scramble For Supplies 24/01/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Pandemic influenza preparedness figures prominently on the agenda of the World Health Organisation’s board meeting this week, and countries are still deeply concerned about the lack of supply, according to sources. One of them is Egypt. A domestic media debate erupted after it became known that the country has only been supplied with some 1,000 […]
WHO IP Commission Seeks To Overcome Leak Of Report To Industry 23/01/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen and William New A closed-door World Health Organisation commission appears to have reached tentative agreement on a draft report on intellectual property rights and public health, according to sources familiar with the situation, despite an alleged earlier leak of the draft or some portion of the draft to industry. The […]
Benefit To LDC Manufacturers From Roche HIV/AIDS Offer Unclear 20/01/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche has launched a new initiative under which it says it will offer manufacturers in least developed countries technical assistance in producing generic HIV/AIDS medicines, but it is unclear how many companies will be able to benefit from the project. There could be as few as five manufacturers in sub-Saharan Africa that […]
Kenyan R&D Proposal Possibly Among IP Issues For WHO Board 17/01/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Kenya has submitted a proposal for a new global framework for research and development to the World Health Organisation Executive Board, but procedural issues may prevent it from being included on the agenda of the board’s 23-28 January meeting, according to sources. The Kenyan proposal is one of several intellectual property issues that could come […]
Disagreements Further Delay WHO IP Commission Report 13/01/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A World Health Organization commission on intellectual property rights has failed to meet its deadline for a report that was to be presented to the WHO Executive Board later this month because of disagreement among its members. The WHO Commission on Intellectual Property Rights, Innovation and Public Health (CIPIH) was set up in February 2004 […]
Hong Kong Ministerial Ends With Little Overall Progress; Limited Focus On IP 18/12/2005 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Hong Kong–Trade ministers of the World Trade Organization members concluded a six-day intensive negotiation with little progress on the biggest issues, and minimal work on intellectual property issues. The final ministerial declaration adopted at the end of the meeting on 18 December contained no changes in terms of intellectual property issues from the meeting’s second […]
Latest WTO Ministerial Draft Urges Discussions On IP Issues To Intensify, Adds Review Date 18/12/2005 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Hong Kong–The latest draft text from the World Trade Organization ministerial released today urges consultations on certain key intellectual property rights issues “to intensify” and adds a date for reviews of progress. The text is an update of a draft issued at the ongoing WTO ministerial in Hong Kong during the afternoon of 17 December […]
Non-Violation Complaint Moratorium Extended In Latest Hong Kong Draft 18/12/2005 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Hong Kong–The 17 December draft of the ministerial text at the ongoing World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting extends a freeze preventing WTO members from complaining about other members’ intellectual property rights practices even when they are not violating WTO rules. There were no other significant changes to the draft text related to intellectual property rights. […]
Peru Attempts Strong WTO Position On Disclosure Despite Weaker US Deal 17/12/2005 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen and William New Hong Kong – Peru appears to be taking a strong position in World Trade Organization negotiations in favour of the disclosure of origin of genetic material and traditional knowledge in patent applications despite having agreed to weaker terms in a bilateral trade deal with the United States […]
CBD Issues Subject Of Tough Negotiations At WTO 16/12/2005 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Hong Kong–Countries pushing for the launch of negotiations on the protection of biodiversity and traditional knowledge have been engaged in tough talks at the World Trade Organization ministerial in Hong Kong today. The countries, led by India and Brazil, are working to get language on the issue included in the text expected at the conclusion […]