UN Panel Report On Access To Medicines Seen As Holding Potential For Change 29/09/2016 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment NEW YORK – Speakers at a side event to the United Nations General Assembly last week commended a new report on access to medicines prepared by a high-level panel hand-chosen by the UN secretary general as containing fresh ideas and the potential to bring change to a longstanding problem.
US Supreme Court To Examine Outsized Infringement Damages 28/09/2016 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Patent infringers are supposed to pay damages, but the award in this case struck many as ridiculous. Some Samsung smartphones contained one or two purely decorative design elements that had been patented by Apple. But instead of paying modest damages for what many see as a tiny infringement, Samsung was ordered to pay $399 million – all the profits the company had made from its infringing phones. The Federal Circuit said it had no choice but to approve those damages; it was constrained by statute. Critics, however, said that the Federal Circuit had misinterpreted the statute. They fret the court’s error will unleash a wave of design patent infringement suits that will harm innovation, stifle competition, and empower patent trolls. Which is why so many will be paying close attention on 11 October, when this dispute comes before the US Supreme Court.
Regional Trade Agreements Address Issues Missed By Multilateralism, Speakers Say 28/09/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Although regional trade agreements are increasing, there is no hiding the fact that they are meeting rising resistance from the public and are difficult to negotiate. At the World Trade Organization Public Forum this week, an industry panel sought to explore how trade agreements could be linked to the WTO process, and if elements of those agreements could be taken on at the multilateral level.
WEF On Competitiveness: Openness In Decline, Push In Innovation, Tech Needed 28/09/2016 by Alexandra Nightingale for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The world is seeing a decline in openness in economies, the World Economic Forum said in its new Global Competitiveness Report 2016 – 2017. But WEF sees an increased role for technology, innovation and business sophistication. And the most competitive nation in the world? Switzerland again.
Intergovernmental Organisations Swap Notes On Working For Inclusive Trade 28/09/2016 by Peter Kenny for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment If world trade is to be more inclusive it needs to assess a populist backlash against trade that is occurring in different parts of the world, says Jean-Baptiste Velut, an associate professor at Sorbonne Nouvelle University of Paris. Velut was introducing a panel yesterday during the 5th World Trade Organization Public Forum, an annual event that brings together stakeholders and members of the public to discuss trade issues, with the focus this year on inclusive trade.
WTO Public Forum Opens Against Gloomy Global Trade Perspectives 27/09/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The 15th World Trade Organization Public Forum, an annual event that brings together stakeholders and members of the public to discuss trade issues, opened today. This year, the focus is on inclusive trade. During the opening session, participants underlined the need for support of micro enterprises, in particular in developing countries. Also today, the WTO released its trade statistics and outlook for 2016, which announced the slowest pace of trade and output growth since the 2009 financial crisis.
WIPO Traditional Knowledge: Text Passes Committee Approval, Goes To Next Session 23/09/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments World Intellectual Property Organization delegates today agreed on a text compiling divergent views on how traditional knowledge should be protected in the intellectual property system to be forwarded to the next session of its committee on the protection of traditional knowledge. Some clear dividing lines remain, such as traditional knowledge which is widely known and could have been placed in the public domain, or if conditions of eligibility should be part of a potential treaty.
CETA To Be Signed (Again) During EU-Canada Summit In Mid-October 23/09/2016 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment European Union trade ministers at an informal meeting in Bratislava, Slovakia today agreed on the final steps to enact CETA, the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between Canada and the EU. There will be no other reopening of the text, assured EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem after the meeting. But ministers have agreed, according to Slovak Minister of Economy Peter Ziga, that some sensitive issues have to be straightened out in an additional annex to the CETA text.
Europe Dominates List Of Candidates For Next WHO Director 23/09/2016 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Health Organization today released the list of candidates to be the next director general of the UN health agency in Geneva. Of the six candidates, four are from the European region.
Panel On The Right To Scientific Progress And Freedom For Scientific Research 23/09/2016 by Alexandra Nightingale for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Scientists, national and United Nations representatives, academia and civil society this week explored and elaborated on the right to enjoy scientific progress and the freedom which is indispensable for scientific research. The right was placed in the context of today’s global challenges and scientists presented the latest examples of their research, in which human rights related to freedom of scientific research could be applied. The panel set out promote systematic dialogue to foster an understanding of the right and of what is being advanced.