US Patent Office 2016 Humanity Awards Go To Health-Related Inventions 06/12/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The winners of the 2016 Patents for Humanity Award of the United States Patent and Trademark Office this year are recognised for providing global disease solutions. The inventions relate to malaria, vaccines, a life-threatening pregnancy complication, and meningitis.
WIPO Committee On Traditional Knowledge Agrees On Revised Text For Further Discussions 05/12/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment World Intellectual Property Organization delegates last week agreed on a revised set of draft articles to be further discussed at the next session of the committee working on a potential treaty to protect traditional knowledge. Views differed on the achievements of the week. For the proponents of a binding treaty, the text reflects a better understanding of issues, and some reduction in differences. However, for some developed countries not in favour of a treaty, gaps are still wide open and much work remains.
Thomas Cueni Of Switzerland Named Director General Of IFPMA 02/12/2016 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Thomas Cueni of Switzerland has been named the next director general of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA), the Geneva-based organisation which represents the global research-based pharma industry.
UN Names New Head Of Convention On Biological Diversity 02/12/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Cristiana Paşca Palmer of Romania has been named executive secretary of the Secretariat of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
ILO Decisions Said To Confirm EPO Staff Lack Fair Legal System 01/12/2016 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The International Labour Organization Administration Tribunal (ILO-AT) on 30 November set aside two European Patent Office (EPO) decisions rejecting employee challenges to various internal rules. The judgments, which sent the complaints back to the EPO on the grounds that they had not been handled by the proper authorities, highlight the lack of a “fair and functioning” legal system for EPO staff, said an employee source who asked to remain anonymous.
Helping Patenters In A Sea Of PAEs: Interview With LOT Network’s Ken Seddon 01/12/2016 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Patent assertion entity (PAE) activity has skyrocketed in the past decade and much discussion has occurred around what to do in response to patent holders whose strategy is more focused on legal battles than innovating. One notable group has risen up to bring together global companies to address the PAE issue with a novel sharing approach. In an interview with Intellectual Property Watch, Ken Seddon, CEO and President of LOT Network, talks about the group’s rapid growth, what’s coming next, and how not to bring a squirt gun to a nuclear fight.
Popcorn, Football And Chocolate – US Idea To Prompt Discussions At WIPO TK Committee 01/12/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment What do popcorn, chewing-gum, football, syringes, and chocolate have in common? According to a United States paper tabled at the World Intellectual Property Organization, they are all rooted in traditional knowledge. While most efforts are geared this week towards trying to find consensual language on a treaty protecting traditional knowledge, the US said a discussion on what is protectable and what is not would be instructive. Some other delegations resubmitted proposals introducing alternative means of protection than a binding instrument.
Pfizer CEO Ian Read Elected To Rotating IFPMA Presidency 30/11/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Pfizer Board Chairman and CEO Ian Read has been elected as the next president of the Geneva-based International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA), a two-year role.
WHO Board May Discuss UN High-Level Panel Report On Medicines Access 30/11/2016 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The UN World Health Organization this week clarified that the possibility exists for the WHO Executive Board to discuss a recently released report from a UN Secretary General-appointed panel that makes recommendations for improving global access to medicines.
Report: IP, Access To Science A Troubled Relationship 30/11/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments A new academic report looks into the relationship between intellectual property and access to science and culture, in the wake of work on the issue by former United Nations Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, Farida Shaheed. Contributors to the report aimed at reflecting on how the intellectual property system can foster economic growth while encouraging non-economic values and objectives of human development.