US Ambassador Sees Hope For WIPO Visually Impaired Treaty This Year 13/09/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment United States Ambassador Betty King told a gathering of journalists at the US mission yesterday of the important work being done at the international institutions under her responsibility in Geneva, including the World Intellectual Property Organization and World Health Organization.
IFPMA Report, Panel, Examine Rise Of Industry Global Health Partnerships 12/09/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A new report commissioned by international pharmaceutical industry released yesterday offers findings and recommendations based on study of 200 global health partnerships aimed at low- and middle-income countries. The report was released at a panel discussion of a range of health experts who highlighted work to date and upcoming needs in the area of global health partnerships.
Syria Denounces Madrid Agreement On Trademark Registration 12/09/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) today announced that it has received notification that Syria will withdraw from the international trademark treaty known as the Madrid Agreement.
Review Of WIPO Shipments To Iran, North Korea Issued; US Calls For New Safeguards 11/09/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments An independent study of the World Intellectual Property Organization’s technical assistance to countries sanctioned by the United Nations was released today, and while it did not conclude whether WIPO violated UN protocol or whether there was any personal gain involved, it did raise questions as to how such behaviour could have been perpetuated from the early 2000s right up to this year. Separately today, the United States government made a sharp statement in a members-only WIPO meeting raising concerns about WIPO’s technical assistance activities and its viability as an organisation if it does not attain “an appropriate level of oversight, accountability and transparency.” The US called for new safeguards to ensure monthly, quarterly and annual reviews of its technical assistance involving sanctioned member states, and assurances that WIPO staff can speak with risk about past activities.
Licensing Executives Society (U.S.A. & Canada), Inc. Annual Meeting – Special Savings for IP-Watch Readers! 06/09/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Don’t miss the LES (USA & Canada) Annual Meeting, October 14-17 in Toronto: The must-attend licensing event for professionals across all industry sectors! LES calls the meeting, focused on “Connecting & Collaborating,” your best opportunity this year to learn from and interact with the leading IP, licensing and business development professionals in the industry. Over 3-and-a-half days, the Plenary Sessions will help you delve into a range of cutting-edge issues, including the convergence of life sciences and high tech; a debate over the alleged patent bubble; and a robust, judge-led discussion about the Canadian and US patent environments. Targeted Mini-Plenary Sessions will drill down to timely topics of interest in each of the industry sectors, and you’ll have the opportunity to select from any of over 40 interactive cross-sector workshops tailored to your interests. As a bonus, get a sneak peek of the Meeting with LES’ new podcast series, including exclusive interviews with Keynote Speaker Dr. Eric Topol, Judges Paul Michel and Roger Hughes, and Annual Meeting Chairs Tim Lowman and Gary Fedorochko. Listen now. IP-Watch readers save $100! Use promo code IPW12 when registering for your discount.
US Film Industry (Also) Likes Democrats’ Platform On IP And Internet Freedom 04/09/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) today said that it is “extremely pleased” with the presidential election platform of the Democratic Party, echoing praise the music industry group gave last week to the rival Republican Party.
Donations Rise For Wikileaks To Post Trans-Pacific Partnership Text 31/08/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments Nearly US$25,000 – and growing – in donations has been collected to hand over to Wikileaks if it successfully leaks the top-secret text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement currently under negotiation. The draft text has been blocked from public scrutiny while being shared only with industry.
NGOs Oppose US Proposal On Copyright For Trans-Pacific Trade Deal 30/08/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments At least a dozen non-governmental groups from several continents have issued a joint statement opposing apparent copyright language proposed by the United States in the ongoing Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement negotiations. The groups said the draft language, aimed at curbing copyright infringement, could undermine critical copyright exceptions, which are built into laws in order to protect society’s access to public knowledge.
Silberschmidt To Join WHO As Senior Adviser To Director General 30/08/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments Gaudenz Silberschmidt, head of international affairs in Switzerland’s public health office for the past decade, has been nominated to become senior adviser in the World Health Organization Office of the Director-General. He will have a special focus on the reform process taking place at the cash-strapped UN agency.
US Film Industry Praises Republicans On IP And Internet Freedom 30/08/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) today (29 August) issued a statement praising the platform language of the Republican Party, which is opposing President Obama in this year’s presidential election.