WIPO DG Francis Gurry Speaks On His Plans 22/10/2008 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Videocast: Intellectual Property Watch sat down with the World Intellectual Property Organization’s new director general, Francis Gurry, to discuss his plans for the organisation. The appointment of Gurry was widely hailed by supporters as a positive change, and a way to get WIPO back to its original mandate of managing a complex international intellectual property […]
Islamic Strategy: Knowledge Access, Local Innovation And IP Protection 20/10/2008 by Wagdy Sawahel for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Wagdy Sawahel for Intellectual Property Watch Islamic states have declared 2009 “the year for renewal and innovation” and will launch a project to prepare a landmark map of science, technology and innovation to promote science and technology investment and technical cooperation both within the Islamic world, and between the Islamic world and Europe as […]
Photographs Of Ongoing WIPO Construction 03/10/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Construction of a new office building at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) continues apace, with the expected completion date for the CHF153 million (US$137 million) project, October 2010, still on track (IPW, WIPO, 26 September 2008). When completed, the 10-story space will include 5 floors of offices, a ground floor with a lobby and […]
Global Access To Medicines Not Improved By TRIPS Waiver, Some Say 01/10/2008 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A much-heralded 2003 waiver to World Trade Organization intellectual property rules aimed at helping poor countries receive needed medicines they cannot produce themselves has brought little if any help five years later, according to governments and public health advocates. The so-called “30 August 2003 Decision” allowing WTO members to use compulsory licences to produce and […]
New IP Model Proposed To Facilitate Technology Access In Developing Countries 19/09/2008 by Wagdy Sawahel for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Wagdy Sawahel for Intellectual Property Watch Biotechnology policymakers, business leaders, and academics need to adopt a new intellectual property strategy focussed on cooperation and collaboration, rather than the current counterproductive model that encourages patenting as much as possible, says the report of an international panel of experts. Prepared by an international expert group on […]
The South Strikes Back Against Overreaching IP Enforcement 17/09/2008 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments By Catherine Saez, William New and Kaitlin Mara Developed nations are overreaching in their broad push to escalate enforcement of intellectual property rights and their efforts should be reined in and centralised in the World Intellectual Property Organization, say leading developing nations led by China. This especially applies to a secret negotiation led by the […]
Drug Regulatory Agencies Collaborate On Counterfeits, New Medical Products 17/09/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Kaitlin Mara BERN – Representatives from drug regulatory bodies are meeting this week in Bern, Switzerland, to discuss collaboration in an increasingly international world. Key topics of concern in the meetings include counterfeit drugs and issues in the production of new medical products. The 13th International Conference of Drug Regulatory Authorities (ICDRA), co-organised by […]
Voices From Innovative Business Projects in Brazil and Nigeria 12/09/2008 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Intellectual Property Watch caught up with innovative business leaders Regina Casé and Charles Igwe at the Access to Knowledge Conference in Geneva on 9 September. Look below to see what they had to say on piracy and cultural expression within their industries, and then click here to read more about it (IPW, Access to Knowledge, […]
Can Non-Western Language Internet Addresses Solve The Digital Divide? The Case Of Arabic Language 09/09/2008 by Wagdy Sawahel for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Wagdy Sawahel for Intellectual Property Watch Arab information technology experts have welcomed a recent development in internet governance that could allow the use of Arabic script website addresses, saying it will help to protect Arabic culture, remove the language barrier and reduce the digital and knowledge gap between the Arab world and the developed […]
Appropriate IP System Touted For Local Science-Based Industry In Islamic Nations 04/09/2008 by Wagdy Sawahel for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Wagdy Sawahel for Intellectual Property Watch Growth of intellectual property rights depends on the level of technological development and most Islamic countries are seen as marginalised and scientifically lagging least-developed countries. This has led some experts in the region to call for a system-wide approach to make IP rights supportive to local knowledge-based industry […]