Medicines Patent Pool Adds Two AbbVie Paediatric HIV Medicines 01/12/2014 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The Medicines Patent Pool (MPP) has announced a licence agreement with pharmaceutical manufacturer AbbVie to allow the production of cheaper, more accessible paediatric versions of two HIV medicines.
CEIPI Celebrates 5oth Anniversary With Major Conference 25/11/2014 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The highly esteemed Center for International Intellectual Property Studies (CEIPI) in Strasbourg will mark its 50th anniversary this week with a conference featuring the top names in the European IP community. Below is the press release announcing the event: Conference CEIPI / 27-28 November 2014 Council of Europe, Strasbourg “Perspectives for the Intellectual Property System […]
USTR Froman Presses India On IPR Regime 24/11/2014 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments “Nearly one-third of all Silicon Valley start-ups have an Indian-American co-founder,” United States Trade Representative Michael Froman said in remarks on India today. The country of India is also innovating, but it must do more to have and enforce a world-class intellectual property rights regime, he said.
Threats To IP Call For A Risk-Based Approach 24/11/2014 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Pamela Passman Economic globalization and digitization of information have revolutionized business and allowed for efficiency that was unimaginable a few decades ago. The ability to share information remotely means companies can coordinate with partners remotely, integrate suppliers, track shipments and communicate in real time with customers in distant markets. These trends represent a seismic […]
Australia Accuses Tobacco Industry Of ‘Regulatory Chill’ In WTO Plain Packaging Case 20/11/2014 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments Australia this week at the World Trade Organization said the tobacco industry is applying a “well-known tactic” of instilling a “regulatory chill” on WTO members’ efforts to implement plain-packaging anti-smoking strategies. It also said pro-tobacco countries should not keep putting the issue on WTO committee agendas while their dispute settlement cases are running their course.
Index: Pharma Industry Improves On Access To Medicines, Needs Work On Ethics, Patent Disclosure 17/11/2014 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The 2014 edition of an independent ranking of leading pharmaceutical companies’ efforts to help developing countries released today found new initiatives undertaken in the past two years. But it said corruption and insufficient disclosure of existing patents continue to plague the industry.
US IP Industry Meeting With Indian Judges A “Ruse”, Activists Say 17/11/2014 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Public health activists and others have been watching closely in recent months as United States government and industry officials meet steadily and intensively with Indian counterparts to press change in that country’s intellectual property policy toward greater protection and recognition of western IP rights. A particular area of concern has been in pharmaceuticals, as India is said to be the world’s top supplier of affordable generic versions of drugs under patent that otherwise would be out of reach for millions of poor patients. Several activists have raised alarm over a meeting this week of US IP industry representatives with top judges in India.
Hard Bargaining In IP Chapter Of Trans-Pacific Partnership, Trade Ministers Say 10/11/2014 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Intellectual property is still one of the most complex and challenging areas of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), as some countries are holding fast to high levels of IP protection to promote innovation and creativity, while others continue to seek a greater emphasis on access to ideas. This appears to be the message of today’s statement from trade ministers of countries negotiating the TPP.
Expect Strong IP Push From Global Pharma Industry Next Year; WHO Prescribes Dose Of Reality 07/11/2014 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment NEW YORK – Strong intellectual property rights will be a top priority for the pharmaceutical industry internationally in the coming year and arguments over IPRs versus medicines access are false, a top representative said at a high-level industry event this week. But views at the event differed on expectations of industry in light of the Ebola crisis, hepatitis C drug costs or other medicines access questions.
US: WIPO Plan To Negotiate Higher GI Protection Sets “Deeply Troubling Precedent” 06/11/2014 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The United States is accustomed to having a strong say in multilateral negotiations, but in the case of a move by a small number of World Intellectual Property Organization members to negotiate higher protection for geographical indications without the full participation of the US and others, the US government is particularly fuming. Now it has questioned the very validity of the move.