Members Concerned Over WIPO 2014/2015 Programme, Budget; New Treaties On The Way 14/07/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments The World Intellectual Property Organization’s proposed programme and budget for the next biennium faced some tough questioning from the UN agency’s member states last week. Meanwhile, WIPO is anticipating a series of treaty negotiations in the next two years.
“Trilateral” Symposium Addresses Topics Of Global Public Health And IP 10/07/2013 by Brittany Ngo for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The themes of innovation, collaboration, and policy coherence shared the spotlight during panel discussions at the 5 July technical symposium on Medical Innovation: Changing Business Models. The event was jointly hosted by the World Health Organization, World Intellectual Property Organization, and World Trade Organization.
Panel Discusses Role Of ECOSOC In The UN’s Post-2015 Goals 09/07/2013 by Caitlin McGivern for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The contribution the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) can make to the formation of a post-2015 UN development agenda was at the centre of a thematic debate in Geneva last week. The agenda, to be developed by the General Assembly, is expected to include issues such as innovation, public health and the transfer of technology.
Happy Birthday To You, Copyrighted 04/07/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Prof. Owen Dean writes: Warner/Chappel Music, a music publishing company in the United States of America, claims and exerts copyright in the ubiquitous song “Happy Birthday to You”. It requires that royalty payments should be made to it each and every time this song is sung or used in public. This is a startling proposition as most people probably assume that the song is in the public domain and is free for use by all. An American documentary film maker agrees and is objecting to having to pay royalties to include the song in a film. It has consequently commenced legal proceedings before the US court seeking a declaration that the song is out of copyright and in the public domain. These court proceeding are currently attracting attention world-wide due to their somewhat bizarre nature. Meanwhile, under a bill in South Africa, celebrants of birthdays who do not obtain the necessary licence for singing “Happy Birthday” may in future bring the full wrath of the law down upon themselves through their unlawful conduct. Moreover, this situation could prevail in perpetuity.
Special Feature: A Look At Product Development Partnerships And Innovation For Neglected Diseases 03/07/2013 by Tiphaine Nunzia Caulier for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment An analysis of available information indicates that research-oriented product development partnerships (PDPs) are seen as providing a better approach to neglected diseases than most other public-private partnerships. Yet, in spite of many positive results, PDPs still have a limited impact in developing countries.
Interview With WIPO Director General Francis Gurry On New WIPO Treaty 27/06/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment With this week’s agreement in Marrakesh, Morocco on an international treaty to ease cross-border access for the blind to copyrighted books, the UN World Intellectual Property Organization has completed its second treaty in the past 12 months – with more potentially on the way. WIPO Director General Francis Gurry sat down with Intellectual Property Watch’s Catherine Saez in Morocco hours after the treaty text was agreed by WIPO members to discuss what it means.
WIPO Treaty For The Blind Shows That Transparency Can Work (And Is Necessary) 26/06/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Prof. Sean Flynn writes that the transparency in the breakthrough agreement on an international treaty for the visually impaired in Morocco is a lesson for trade negotiators who encounter difficulties after keeping trade agreement texts secret until negotiations are over, such as in the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP).
WHO Wrestles With Engagement Of “Non-State Actors” 25/06/2013 by Brittany Ngo for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Health Organization is undergoing major reform including working to stabilise its fiscal future, and members are trying to set out careful terms for working with and receiving support from entities referred to as non-state actors, such as private foundations and organisations.
Special Report: European Dialogue On Internet Governance: Regulating Cyberspace After Prism? 24/06/2013 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Lisbon, Portugal – The surveillance affair around the US Prism programme left its mark on the 2013 European Dialogue on Internet Governance (EuroDIG) in Lisbon last week. Legal experts at the sixth edition of the European version of the Internet Governance Forum pondered possible legal reactions, companies revealed as targets or (unwilling) partners of the programme tried to limit the damage, while Swedish ambassador Olaf Ehrenkrona admitted that state surveillance programs need to be reconsidered given the ease of mass surveillance in the era of a public internet space.
South Africa A Leader In Renewable Energy, Lagging In IP Rights 24/06/2013 by Linda Daniels for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Leader of the newly formed Renewables Club and rated as a world leader in the green energy race, South Africa has done little to secure this advantage with intellectual property rights of its own.