Interviews: Google Speaks On Need For Balanced IP System; EPO On “Tomato II” Case, Board Of Appeal Revamp 02/10/2015 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment COPENHAGEN – Google is “really looking for a balanced IP system,” the company’s head of litigation told the Global Patent Congress, while the European Patent Office elaborated on the “Tomato II” case, which for civil society has become the very symbol of an imbalanced IP system. Intellectual Property Watch spoke with senior officials at both Google and the EPO at the conference.
Policy Coherence To Boost East Africa Pharmaceutical Industry 02/10/2015 by Hillary Muheebwa for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments KAMPALA, UGANDA – The pharmaceutical industry in the East African Community is approaching a higher level of production quality and manufacturing practices. To benefit the industry and increase access to medicines, stakeholders are working towards a united regulatory policy framework aimed at harmonising industrial, health and regulatory policies.
Medicrime Convention Against Counterfeit Drugs To Enter Into Force In 2016 01/10/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The ratification of an international convention to fight counterfeit of medical products by Guinea has unlocked the entry into force of the instrument, now set to happen on 1 January 2016.
IP Good For Trade, If Enforcement Strong, IP Proponents Say At WTO 01/10/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment At a panel at the World Trade Organization organised by the United States Chamber of Commerce, proponents of strong intellectual property protection explained why this protection is key in international trade, even if some might consider the minimum standard set by the WTO IP rules might need an update.
Council Of Europe Issues Resolution, Questions Current IP System For Pharmaceutical Products 01/10/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment On 29 September, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted a resolution on how to safeguard the public interest against the interests of the pharmaceutical industry.
The Trillion-Dollar Technology 01/10/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The smartphone is one of the most ubiquitous inventions in contemporary life. Ask anyone from teenagers to senior citizens – in industrialized countries, as well as emerging markets – about the wireless ways of their life, and they will tell you this. But what is the economic impact of mobile? That is not as obvious, writes Antonio Varas.
IP-Watch/Yale FOIA Case Decided: USTR Can Keep TPP Texts Secret, But Maybe Not Communications With Industry Advisors 30/09/2015 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments As government negotiators dig into perhaps the final round of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade negotiations this week in Atlanta, they may take comfort in knowing that nothing they are doing has to be shared with the public they represent until years after it is over. That’s because a federal district court in Manhattan decided this week, in a closely watched Freedom of Information Act case brought by Intellectual Property Watch, that draft texts of the trade deal can be kept secret. The court did, however, cast doubt on the government’s reasons for also keeping its communications with industry lobbyists from the public eye.
Trade Works, Says WTO Head, But Only If Right Policies, Transparent Trade System In Place 30/09/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The annual World Trade Organization Public Forum opened today with a plenary session on making trade work more inclusively. The Doha Round, agriculture, and environmental technologies were part of the conversation.
CEIPI Launches Training Program For Technical Judges Of Unified Patent Court 29/09/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment One of the major imminent changes in the international patent system is the establishment of the Unified Patent Court. The agreement to create this tribunal was signed by 25 European Union States in 2013, and it is foreseen that the Court will be operational by the end of 2016. Setting up of a single tribunal with competence to decide on both validity and infringement disputes is an old European aspiration, and must be seen in the context of the global trend of creating specialized intellectual property tribunals. In this case, the aim is to respond to the high costs, forum shopping and lack of legal certainty that are generally attributed to the current system of adjudicating disputes concerning European patents. Among the many new features of the Court, the presence of technical judges is particularly notable.
Obama To UN: Real Measure Of A Nation’s Strength Is Its People’s Knowledge, Innovation 28/09/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment US President Obama told world leaders at the United Nations today that a nation that tries to repress its people is doomed to failure, and that the new measure of the strength of nations is the success of its people, including their knowledge and creativity. Access to information cannot be defeated due to technology and social media, and the desire of people to choose how they are governed, he said.