WIPO’s Assistance To Developing Countries: Taking Forward The Unfinished Reform Agenda 13/11/2014 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Dr. Carolyn Deere Birkbeck writes: At this week’s Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP), WIPO Member States continue to debate next steps on the unprecedented 2011 External Review of WIPO’s assistance to developing countries. With a new Deputy Director General for the WIPO’s Development Sector due to start work this December, the prospect of new leadership also marks a time for Members to provide clear direction. They should act this week and in the coming months to set clear priorities for the Secretariat – and for themselves – that would give greater focus to the ongoing work of improving WIPO’s development cooperation activities, and to establish a mechanism for monitoring progress.
African IP Body Steps Up Regional Effort To Adopt Plant Protection Protocol 13/11/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO), with the help of the United States and an international plant variety organisation, is working to grow regional support for a controversial draft law. The draft protocol would boost protection for new plant varieties, despite concerns of local civil society that it would not be in the best interest of ARIPO members’ food security due to its potential impact on small farmers. ARIPO held a regional workshop on the issue in recent weeks in part to build support for a treaty negotiation to lock in these protections.
Zephyr Of Hope For Longstanding Issues At WIPO Committee On Development And IP 13/11/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A lighter mood seems to have set in at the World Intellectual Property Organization Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP), after a year of what was qualified as a cycle of disagreements by some. Although delegates reiterated previous positions on some longstanding agenda items, some middle-ground alternatives seem to have gained attention.
European Conference Promotes Use Of Standards As A Tool For Innovation 12/11/2014 by Magda Voltolini for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment BRUSSELS – European experts in research, industry and policymaking at a recent conference here discussed the importance of integrating standards, research and business into the cycle of innovation in Europe.
China’s First Intellectual Property Court Makes Its Debut, Two More To Follow 11/11/2014 by Mingjiang Liu for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The following is a contributed summary of recent news in China from various sources. The Beijing Intellectual Property Court, China’s first specialised IP court, came into being on 6 November, for which a ceremony unveiling the court’s nameplate was held at the court’s domicile in the capital city’s Haidian District, home to many technology giants and universities.
Hard Bargaining In IP Chapter Of Trans-Pacific Partnership, Trade Ministers Say 10/11/2014 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Intellectual property is still one of the most complex and challenging areas of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), as some countries are holding fast to high levels of IP protection to promote innovation and creativity, while others continue to seek a greater emphasis on access to ideas. This appears to be the message of today’s statement from trade ministers of countries negotiating the TPP.
WIPO Committee On Development And IP Opens With Overloaded Agenda 10/11/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The World Intellectual Property Organization Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP) opened today with a heavy agenda and open issues that carried over from past sessions. In particular, delegates are expected to find agreement on a list of speakers, which would unlock the convening of an international conference on IP and development. They also must agree on the terms of reference of an independent review of WIPO’s implementation of the 45 Recommendations of the 2007 Development Agenda.
Global Differences On Patents Lead WIPO Patent Law Committee To Stumble On Future Work 10/11/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments Once again, differences over the role of a World Intellectual Property Organization committee last week came in the way of consensus and prevented delegates from agreeing on future work. At the heart of the discontent was the perceived imbalance of the proposed programme of work, which some said disregarded the interests of developing countries. A speaker for the African region gave a striking speech on the Ebola crisis as an example of the failure of the patent system.
Expect Strong IP Push From Global Pharma Industry Next Year; WHO Prescribes Dose Of Reality 07/11/2014 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment NEW YORK – Strong intellectual property rights will be a top priority for the pharmaceutical industry internationally in the coming year and arguments over IPRs versus medicines access are false, a top representative said at a high-level industry event this week. But views at the event differed on expectations of industry in light of the Ebola crisis, hepatitis C drug costs or other medicines access questions.
WTO, WHO, WIPO Examine IPRs And Middle-Income Countries 06/11/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The current income-based grouping of countries needs to be changed or access to medicines in middle-income countries will worsen, several speakers said yesterday at a joint meeting between three international organisations on health, trade, and intellectual property. But middle-income countries should step up their engagement in organisations such as the World Health Organization, according to WHO and civil society.