Efficacy Of TRIPS Public Health Amendment In Question At WTO 01/03/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments World Trade Organization members this week will hear a report on an informal meeting on an amendment to intellectual property trade rules intended to allow easier access to medicines, which some argue has had a flawed design from its inception.
GIs Can Help Development, But Key Ingredients Are Needed, FAO Says 01/03/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Geographical indications (GIs) can be a tool for sustainable development in rural areas and are attracting a rising interest from developing country producers, but some ingredients must be taken into account, such as an effective legal framework and collective management of the GIs, according to a recently released guide produced by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Tough IP Health Provisions In Europe’s Colombia/Peru Trade Deal 25/02/2010 by David Cronin for Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments Far-reaching provisions on the patenting of medicine have been inserted into a controversial free trade agreement between the European Union and Colombia and Peru.
Conference: Access To Knowledge, Human Rights Can Learn From Each Other 19/02/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A treaty on copyright exceptions for visually impaired readers, open educational materials, use of the internet without surveillance, and early human rights movements around access to electricity were among issues debated at a recent academic conference on access to knowledge.
Brazil Takes Next Step Toward WTO Cross-Retaliation Against US 19/02/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Brazilian President Lula has adopted a measure to enable the suspension of Brazil’s obligations to protect intellectual property rights from the United States, the next step after a World Trade Organization ruling of US non-compliance with WTO rules, according to an unofficial translation of the provisional Brazilian measure.
US Business Calls For IP Enforcement “Surge”, Seeks New Legislation This Year 18/02/2010 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The United States’ largest industry association today laid out an aggressive legislative agenda on intellectual property, calling for a dramatic increase in enforcement activities including pumped up customs and border authority.
ACTA Negotiators: Maximal Protection Proposals Unlikely In Final Text 18/02/2010 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The chapter on copyright protection in the digital environment under negotiation in the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) is still in an embryonic state, said negotiators coming back from the recent ACTA negotiations in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Contradictory Court Rulings, Continuing Tension On Internet Liability In EU 17/02/2010 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment In its 2010 digital music report, the International Federation for the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) said that despite the availability of 400 legitimate online music offerings worldwide and significantly higher 2009 revenues, the music sector remains hard-hit by peer-to-peer and emerging forms of copyright infringement.
Biotech Marathon: Vaccines And Open Innovation, But Less IP? 16/02/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment In a mad-dash 34-hour marathon, biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry professionals met on 1-2 February in Geneva in what was intended to be a hearth of partnering opportunities. About 600 participants debated future trends and current challenges along with open innovation, global health and vaccines.
Year Ahead: Reforming Global IP Systems – Trends In A2K In 2010 12/02/2010 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments Ensuring public access to knowledge while supporting intellectual property rights cuts across broad areas such as internet availability, public health, education and culture, climate change, and basic technical standards. And while the non-profit movement that has worked to encourage access is facing serious challenges this year, they are set to fight it out in the various fora related to essential drugs, books and academic journals, and software again in 2010.