Proposed EU Customs Regulation May Not Dispel Fear Of Wrongful Drug Seizures 31/05/2011 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The European Commission has issued a new draft customs regulation that it says addresses past concerns over wrongful seizures of generic drug shipments transiting through European ports. But the new regulation does not substantively change existing rules, it said, and civil society groups say it does not go far enough. The EU regulation is the subject of a World Trade Organization dispute settlement case.
UN Project Examines Better Access To Drugs For The Poor Through Local Production 27/05/2011 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Improving access to medicines in developing countries through local pharmaceutical production is at the centre of a project involving several institutional actors working on health and trade. Technology transfer is key to local production, but some prerequisites like a favourable policy environment and the ability of developing countries to use technology transfer are essential to encourage local production, according to panellists at a recent event.
Recent Personnel Changes In Geneva 26/05/2011 by William New and Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Recent weeks have seen several personnel changes at Geneva institutions working on international intellectual property rights and innovation, including at missions, international organisations and foundations.
WHO Reform Mandate, Pandemic Report Clear Hurdles 20/05/2011 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A committee of member governments of the World Health Organization this week adopted a resolution on the future financing of the organisation and a broad set of reforms, as well as a resolution on the WHO’s management of a recent influenza pandemic showing no evidence of wrongdoing.
Patent Licensing Experts Share Lessons Learned In Making Deals 16/05/2011 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment NEW YORK – Experts at a recent conference on licensing revealed some of the behind the scenes thinking within industry on how to do great deals and keep from getting burned.
EU Makes Push To Facilitate Geographical Indications In ACP Countries 16/05/2011 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A European Union-backed project organised a conference at the World Trade Organization last week to rally Africa to the cause of geographical indications.
Sounding The Alarm: Return Of US Legislation Against Global “Rogue” Websites 15/05/2011 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments Intellectual property rights holders, access to knowledge proponents, presumably online scam artists, and possibly governments and international organisations interested in internet governance heard the call of the introduction this week of the “Protect IP Act” in the US Senate. The bill is aimed at strengthening US law enforcement’s ability to stop international websites offering counterfeit goods or unauthorised copyrighted content.
Indigenous Peoples Won’t Be “Wished Away” In Traditional Knowledge Treaty Talks 14/05/2011 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Colonial history says that indigenous peoples were in the past sometimes asked to sign treaties that may not have been in their best interest or that were not honoured. Now, under the aegis of the United Nations, some indigenous peoples fear it may be happening again, only this time they are fighting to be at the table as the subject is their traditional practices, and the outcome would apply on a global scale.
Brazil’s Copyright Reform: Are We All Josef K.? 12/05/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch 8 Comments Discussions are heating up as never before on Brazil’s copyright reform, and controversies involving the new administration as well as the collecting society (ECAD)’s alleged wrongdoings are jeopardising the last eight years of Lula’s administration, according to an updated timeline and analysis by Pedro Paranaguá.
Reforms Needed To Open WIPO’s Door Wider To Development, Diplomat Says 11/05/2011 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The adoption of a Development Agenda by the General Assembly of the World Intellectual Property Organization three years ago was seen by most as a success for developing countries and a sign that the organisation was assuming its role as a United Nations agency to a fuller extent. However, according to a lead official on Development Agenda implementation, there is still a long way to go and changes are needed.