US, China Fail To Resolve Differences In Consultations On WTO IP Cases 11/06/2007 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By William New The United States and China last week failed to resolve differences raised by the US dispute at the World Trade Organization over China’s intellectual property protection and market access for US copyrighted material, according to the Chinese government. The United States filed two WTO disputes on 10 April (IPW, Subscribers, 24 April, […]
Scope, Implications Of Section 3(d) Of The Indian Patents Act, 1970 (As Amended) 01/06/2007 by Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments By Swarup Kumar Under Indian patent law, there are certain inventions which are deemed specifically not patentable. These are identified in Section 3, and the sub-clause of that section which is relevant with respect to the infamous Novartis case pending before the Chennai High Court and now also IPAB [Intellectual Property Appellate Board] is sub-clause […]
An Argument For IP And Innovation Boosting Development 29/05/2007 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment With the next meeting of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Provisional Committee on Proposals related to a WIPO Development Agenda (PCDA) to be held on 11-15 June, James Lewis of the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington, DC, presents an argument that innovation and intellectual property protection are good for development. James […]
Friends of Development May Narrow WIPO Development Agenda Proposals 28/05/2007 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By William New The developing countries that in 2004 proposed an agenda for reform of the World Intellectual Property Organization toward stronger consideration of developing country needs are exploring a compromise in advance of the next WIPO meeting on the issue, according to government sources. About 70 proposals, some seen as far-reaching, are slated for […]
Developed Countries Seek Clarification Of Idris’ Alleged Age Discrepancy 15/05/2007 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments By William New Citing concerns over accountability and leadership at the World Intellectual Property Organization, the United States, United Kingdom, Japan and Switzerland are pushing for answers to allegations that WIPO Director General Kamil Idris purposely misrepresented his age on official documents for years. “We are by no means losing interest in this issue,” a […]
The WIPO View On Enforcement, Idris And Development Agenda 14/05/2007 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Wolfgang Starein is the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) official with primary responsibility for enforcement of intellectual property rights. In a series of recent interviews with Intellectual Property Watch, Starein talked about WIPO’s enforcement agenda for the coming year, a January 2007 enforcement conference, access to knowledge, WIPO’s relationship to the World Trade Organization (WTO) […]
USTR Toughens IP Stance On China, Russia, Thailand; Praises EU, Brazil 30/04/2007 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By William New The United States Trade Representative’s office on 30 April announced the elevation of its pressure on China, Russia, Thailand, and others to better protect US intellectual property rights. But the announcement stirred reactions by accentuating the increasingly political-sounding criticism by developed countries of Thailand’s decision to utilise flexibilities under international trade rules […]
WIPO PCT Reform Ends As Swiss Disclosure Proposal Suspended 30/04/2007 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By William New Switzerland is known for its neutrality in many international forums, but when it comes to intellectual property rights, it generally has an opinion in favour, unsurprising given its high number of rights holders. Last week at the World Intellectual Property Organization, the government showed how it can make a move to favour IP rights in an international forum while retaining that special art of Swiss diplomacy. The Working Group on Reform of the WIPO Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) held its ninth session from 23 to 26 April. The PCT, which allows recognition of a patent filed in one nation to be recognised in all PCT members, is an important contributor to WIPO’s finances through fees it charges. At the meeting, Switzerland again prepared to put forward a proposal to amend the PCT regulations to “explicitly enable the national patent legislation” to require the declaration of the source of genetic resources and traditional knowledge in patent applications. This would leave it up to the national level to decide whether to make disclosure part of national law. It would allow that disclosure could take place at the national level or later during the international phase, said the proposal, PCT/R/WG/9/5.
China Leads Developing Country Push For Balance In IP And Standards 24/04/2007 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments By William New BEIJING – China’s rapid development can be seen everywhere in the capital, where the skyline is perforated by construction cranes in all directions. But China’s vigorous effort to update structures does not stop at its borders. China is one of several leading developing countries that have become players on the global economic […]
Open Source, Standards Get A Boost In China 24/04/2007 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By William New BEIJING – Open-source software is receiving a rapid uptake in key developing countries and users, local industries and governments say it offers them market opening, flexibility and lower costs. China, perhaps the biggest potential market, showed last week how much open source is part of its plans. The adoption of open-source software […]