WIPO Candidates Address Civil Society Concerns on Access, Transparency 23/04/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments By Kaitlin Mara Candidates to be the next director general of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) had the opportunity to meet with civil society groups recently to discuss how WIPO’s strategies for the future might involve both more transparency and better accountability to stakeholders in environmental, social, and economic issues. José Graça Aranha of […]
Brazil Declares Patented AIDS Drug Of Public Interest, Could Expand Access 22/04/2008 by Claudia Jurberg for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Claudia Jurberg for Intellectual Property Watch The Brazilian government recently declared the drug Tenofovir, used against HIV/AIDS, to be of public interest. The announcement signals the country’s interest in using an option to avoid the patent on the drug and possibly beginning the process of issuing a compulsory license for the antiretroviral which is […]
Experts Discuss Policy On Patent Landscapes For Life Sciences 22/04/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Kaitlin Mara Access to quality data in intellectual property policy in the life sciences is as necessary as it is hard to obtain, said a recent meeting of technical experts, called to discuss challenges in patents and innovation in medical, agricultural, and other biological technologies. Patents on life sciences figure into the “key debates […]
Seeking GI Protection For Feni, An Indian Brew With A Strong Whiff 09/04/2008 by Frederick Noronha for Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments By Frederick Noronha for Intellectual Property Watch GOA, INDIA – Feni, liquor distilled from cashew apple, is a traditional drink from a small state. Centuries after it was first used in its native Goa, the alcohol is seeking to branch into new markets and attract more drinkers. Officials here believe the geographical indication route could […]
India Cancer Patients Seek To Use Courts For Access To Patented Drugs 03/04/2008 by Tatum Anderson for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Tatum Anderson for Intellectual Property Watch One of the most vocal voices for the interests of cancer patients in India says it will use the courts to force the Indian government to declare cancer a national emergency, in an attempt to make cancer drugs affordable to sufferers. The Cancer Patients Aid Association (CPAA) wants […]
Proponents: Slow Better Than Poor For WIPO Development Agenda 21/03/2008 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By William New World Intellectual Property Organization member states felt their way slowly this month in the first committee meeting on how to implement 45 agreed recommendations for transformation of the United Nations organisation toward a stronger development orientation. But the slow start may have been good for development, some supporters said. The first meeting […]
Panellists Outline Strategies On Exceptions And Limitations To Copyright 20/03/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Kaitlin Mara An event at the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) last week brought some key actors in copyright and related rights to discuss the value of limitations and exceptions and to present a recently released study describing an international instrument on limitations and exceptions. At the outset, Carolina Sepulveda from Chile’s Ministry of […]
US Senate Moves Toward Vote On Reform To Patent Regime 18/03/2008 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Legislation for sweeping patent reform in the United States could see Senate floor action as soon as early April. Majority Leader Harry Reid, Democrat-Nevada, said the congressional body could consider S 1145 next month but the Senate Judiciary Committee has not been given a firm date, a committee […]
Linkages Between The WIPO Development Agenda And The TRIPS Council 13/03/2008 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Ahmed Abdel Latif This week’s TRIPS Council meetings provide a timely opportunity to reflect on the linkages between the work of the Council and the ongoing WIPO Development Agenda process, which entered an implementation phase with the first meeting, last week, of WIPO’s new Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP). Just as the […]
Interview With Debra Harry, Indigenous People’s Council on Biocolonialism 07/03/2008 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Debra Harry, a member of the Northern Paiute indigenous group from Pyramid Lake, Nevada (US) is the founder and executive director of the Indigenous People’s Council on Biocolonialism, which assists indigenous peoples in the protection of their traditional knowledge and the genetic resources in their traditional territories. She holds a Masters degree in community economic […]