After Court Ruling, US Still In Disarray On Software Patents 20/05/2013 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments What inventions are eligible for patent protection? That question has roiled the US legal system for the last decade. But the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals (often called the nation’s patent court) was supposedly riding to the rescue. The court’s eagerly-awaited en banc decision in CLS Bank Int’l v. Alice Corp. [pdf] was widely expected to clarify the patentability of computer-related inventions, which play a vital role in the US economy. Unfortunately, instead of clarifying the law, the court’s 10 May ruling increased the confusion, casting doubt on more than 300,000 patents – including one-fifth of all patents issued last year.
WIPO Programmes Seek To Bridge IP And Climate Change, Global Health 17/05/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization is involved in activities aimed at facilitating technology transfer for green technologies, and research and development for neglected diseases, malaria and tuberculosis. At the request of member states, WIPO’s Global Challenges Division gave a briefing this week on those activities.
World Health Assembly: R&D, NCDs, Pandemics Top Agenda 17/05/2013 by Rachel Marusak Hermann, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments With just days before the UN World Health Assembly opens, member states once again face a packed agenda with key decisions to be taken on some highly-politicised public health and intellectual property matters, including how to move forward on the research and development draft resolution. The spotlight will also be on pandemic influenza preparedness, a resolution of size on noncommunicable diseases, the health-related Millennium Development Goals, and putting some reform decisions into practice.
How Listing Ukraine As A Priority Foreign Country In Special 301 Violates WTO Agreements 13/05/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments Prof. Sean Flynn asks whether US sanctions of Ukraine under the US Special 301 program violates World Trade Organization rules. He also asks whether the operation of watch lists threatening sanctions for intellectual property matters could be challenged under the WTO even prior to any sanction going into effect.
WIPO Committee On Development This Week: North-South Differences 13/05/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The committee evaluating the incorporation of a development dimension into the World Intellectual Property Organization activities meets this week with a heavy agenda and some loose ends inherited from the previous meeting. In particular, delegates will have to decide on future work on patent-related flexibilities, agree on measures to improve WIPO technical assistance, and agree on a review of the implementation of the WIPO Development Agenda Recommendations.
IPRs And The WTO’s New Brazilian President: Heading South, Hopefully Up 08/05/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Benny Spiewak writes on the intellectual property system and a Brazilian as head of the WTO. How an emerging economy national may affect the rules of the game.
Common Market For Eastern And Southern Africa (COMESA) Drafts IP Policy 07/05/2013 by Linda Daniels for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Cape Town, South Africa – The draft intellectual property policy of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) has put IP rights at the centre of the region’s competitive growth strategy.
Shippers Becoming Anti-Counterfeiting Target; Europe Takes Other Measures 03/05/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Istanbul – Counterfeiters are using legitimate supply chains, and shipping companies are unknowingly allowing it and need to take steps to crack down, rights holders’ representatives said at a recent anti-counterfeiting conference. Meanwhile, Europe is undertaking a study of the benefits of IP-intensive industries, and new customs and protection measures.
Experts Offer Perspectives On R&D Policies In The Public Health Domain 01/05/2013 by Tiphaine Nunzia Caulier for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A panel of experts gathered at the Graduate Institute in Geneva last week discussed how to secure collective action to provide global public goods through research and development (R&D) for the particular public health needs of low and middle income countries.
WIPO Demonstrates 3D Printing: Making The Impossible Possible 25/04/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Experts in the field of three dimensional (3D) printing, invited by the World Intellectual Property Organization, today tried to demystify this technology, which has been much talked about but still not very well understood. Seen by some as a futuristic technology, 3D printing can achieve amazing results but also has technical limits and is not expected to yet lead to a manufacturing revolution.