Fake Medicines To Be Discussed On Side Of WTO TRIPS Council Next Week 29/05/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Alongside next week’s World Trade Organization intellectual property committee meeting, Brazil, India, and South Africa are convening a workshop on the neighbouring World Health Organization’s approach to substandard and falsified medicines.
G20 Called On To Put People At Centre Of Digital Economy 29/05/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Some three dozen global civil society groups have called on the G20 countries to set a digital agenda that puts the interests of people and their rights front and centre, in particular on privacy.
WIPO Copyright Committee Opens With Ideas, Questions On Internet, Terms Of Protection 28/05/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments This week’s meeting of the World Intellectual Property Organization copyright committee opened today with what officials perceived as good momentum. Argentina tabled a proposal to help discussions on deferred transmissions in the context of a potential treaty protecting broadcasting organisations, which have been a sticking point in negotiations. Civil society, however, voiced concerns on the provisions of a potential treaty protecting broadcasters against signal piracy, underlining the 50-year envisioned protection and the need to carve out strong limitations and exceptions.
Did The WIPO Copyright Committee Just Approve A Group With Mission To Free The World From “Space Lizards’ Control”? 28/05/2018 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments The World Intellectual Property Organization copyright committee this morning started its weeklong meeting by rubber-stamping three nongovernmental organisations as observers, without discussion. But a look at the website, www.ipcentreug.org, of one of the groups, as provided in the WIPO document as approved, states that the mission of the group is a “global conspiracy investigation institution” whose mission is to “free individuals and organizations from space lizards’ control.”
South Africa Approves New IP Policy, With Guidance From UN Agencies 27/05/2018 by Linda Daniels for Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments It took nine years of policy development, two different draft policies and various rounds of public consultation, to finally see Cabinet give the nod to the new Intellectual Property (IP) policy in South Africa.
EU Governments Reach Negotiating Stance On Copyright Reform 25/05/2018 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment European Union member states today reportedly agreed on their negotiating position on the proposed copyright directive, and early reactions are unenthusiastic.
Africa Takes Steps For Access To Medicines: Conference To Fight Fakes, Develop Local Production 23/05/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A week after African ministers of health adopted a treaty for the establishment of an African Medicines Agency, an international conference held on the side of the World Health Assembly denounced the rampant and increasing issue of fake medicines in Africa, and the lack of adequate action and political will. The Benin president said Benin’s efforts to fight traffickers is so far unsupported, and called developed countries to commit to the fight. Other speakers insisted on the importance of local production of medicines, and the need for biting legislation to defeat fake medicines.
Women And IP As Topic To Be Pursued At WIPO Committee On Development And IP 20/05/2018 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment In the wake of the annual intellectual property day this year focusing on women, the World Intellectual Property Organization Committee on Development and IP this week agreed to discuss women and IP at its next session, as the first topic under a new agenda. The committee also agreed to a new project on the role of women in innovation. In other areas, more discussions are foreseen on whether regular international conferences on IP and development can be approved, and on recommendations by an independent expert group on the implementation of the WIPO Development Agenda.
WIPO Asked To Improve Its Reporting On Development Agenda Implementation 20/05/2018 by William New and Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization annual self-evaluation of the implementation of its 2007 Development Agenda was rubber-stamped by most delegates again this year at the Committee on Development and Intellectual Property. But Brazil offered detailed suggestions on ways to improve the report and ensure that past work is not being included in the reporting on new accomplishments. It also warned against confusing WIPO’s Development Agenda work with its broader activities for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
WIPO Discusses New Field Projects On Women, Tourism, And The Software Sector 17/05/2018 by Damilola Adepeju for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The ongoing 21st session of the World Intellectual Property Organization Committee on Development and IP this week considered a diverse set of three new project proposals. Canada, Mexico and the United States together, as well as Kenya, and Peru, proposed creative projects regarding the use of intellectual property for development related to women, tourism and […]