Six Candidates For WHO Director General Lay Out Their Views 10/11/2016 by Peter Kenny for Intellectual Property Watch and William New 3 Comments Funding, universal health, multisectoral work and access to medicines were among the issues addressed at the recent candidates’ forum of the World Health Organization in Geneva as part of the process to choose the next director general of the UN health agency. Candidates spoke on how to fund the organisation in its quest for universal health care and response to emergencies.
East African Nations Agree Declaration Promoting Regional Pharma Sector Investment 07/11/2016 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Senior officials from East African nations last week agreed on a declaration on promoting investment in the region’s pharmaceutical sector, spelling out terms aimed at boosting investment in ways that are locally relevant and responsible. The declaration includes: steps to standardise and improve product quality and registration, boosting government procurement of local products, setting up research centres, adopting domestic laws on intellectual property and international trade flexibilities to IP, actions against counterfeit and substandard medical products, and increasing exports. The meeting comes as local pharmaceutical production is seen to be in decline in the region.
Mark Whitaker Of Morrison & Foerster Named AIPLA President 01/11/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Mark L. Whitaker, a veteran intellectual property trial lawyer and partner in Morrison & Foerster’s Intellectual Property Litigation Practice Group in Washington, DC, has been named president of the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA).
Ottiglio Leaves IFPMA For Consultancy In Geneva 01/11/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Mario Ottiglio is stepping down as director of public affairs, communications & global health policy at the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers in Geneva. He will be staying in Geneva as the managing director of the new office of the High Lantern Group, a US consulting firm.
Brazil, China, India, South Africa Put UN High-Level Panel On Medicines Access On TRIPS Council Agenda 31/10/2016 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment For next week’s World Trade Organization intellectual property committee meeting, the major developing economies have submitted a request to discuss the recently released report of the United Nations Secretary General’s High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines, according to Knowledge Ecology International (KEI). A key element of the UN report was to make it harder for countries deter or discourage other countries from trying to use patent flexibilities built into the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) – something the major developing economies have been discouraged from doing in the past.
High Quality Patents Could Keep Patent Trolls In Check In Europe, EU Report Finds 27/10/2016 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A new report by respected economists under the European Commission has found that problems of patent assertion entities in Europe could be better controlled if patent quality stays high in the region. It also found that the majority of patent assertion entities in Europe have focused on vulnerable targets – mainly in the telecommunications sector – and the report provides significant research on such entities operating in the European Union. The findings shine light on the key role of standard essential patents, with suggestions for policymakers and predictions about the impact of the prospective changes to the European patent system.
‘WHO Is Not Just Seeking To Be A Firefighter’ – Peter Salama On Reform And Emergency Response At The UN Health Agency 26/10/2016 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Under its new health emergencies program, the World Health Organization is setting up an improved structure for global health emergencies like the Ebola outbreak. But the UN agency is also opening itself up to a role as partnership broker to ensure the world has what it needs when the emergencies arise. And in doing so, WHO is trying to ensure that it remains the central player in global policy discussions and is not just an emergency response unit.
UN Meeting Looks At Legally Binding Instrument On Corporations And Human Rights 24/10/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A gathering at the United Nations in Geneva this week is hearing a litany of views on a prospective legally binding international instrument to regulate within human rights law the activities of transnational corporations and other businesses. The meeting is being webcast live.
US Copyright Office: Pallante Resigns; Search On For New Register [Updated] 24/10/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The United States Copyright Office Register of Copyrights Maria Pallante has changed roles to become senior advisor for digital strategy. In her place, Karyn Temple Claggett will move up to serve as acting register of copyrights while a search is conducted for the next permanent register.
Freedom Of Expression Under Attack, Says UN Special Rapporteur 21/10/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Governments worldwide are engaging in censorship and punishing those who report or post opinions, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the freedom of opinion and expression, David Kaye, says in a report on the widespread global assault on the freedom of expression to be presented to the UN General Assembly today.