Will US Drug Pricing Politics Change Intimidation Practices Globally? 05/03/2019 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Fifa Rahman writes: The global health world, particularly as concerns skyrocketing drug prices and patent abuse, is in a unique space in time. Recently, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has been carrying on as per usual. It has threatened the Malaysian and Colombian governments at numerous junctures to prevent them from issuing compulsory licences – a completely legal mechanism which the US uses regularly – to access generic hepatitis C drugs. The Trump Administration has sent delegations to global health agencies in Geneva to intimidate them into reducing, or hiding, work on TRIPS flexibilities and fairer drug pricing.
In US, No Remedies For Growing IP Infringements 04/03/2019 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Ubi Jus Ibi Remedium. Alas, that longstanding legal principle – where there’s a right, there’s a remedy – doesn’t apply to IP owners in the US. Thanks to several Supreme Court rulings interpreting the US Constitution, owners of patents have no recourse when their IP is infringed by US states. Copyright owners now face the same fate, unless the Supreme Court reverses a recent 4th Circuit decision.
USTR Reports On 2018, Lays Out IP Priorities For 2019; China A Main Target 04/03/2019 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Office of the United States Trade Representative has issued its annual report on trade relations with other nations, essentially a report on progress and problems from last year and an agenda for what’s coming this year. Multilateral approaches came in for touch criticism, and on intellectual property rights, a vigorous, repeated focus is China.
European Patent Office Report Compares Compulsory Licensing Practices By Country 01/03/2019 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The European Patent Office has published a report detailing differences in the laws and procedures of European countries for the granting of compulsory licences.
Rise Of The Machines: Experts Look At AI, Robotics And The Law 27/02/2019 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments NEW YORK — Artificial intelligence, robots, and the law, are all changing a rapid pace. A panel of experts at a recent event at Fordham Law School discussed latest developments and signs of the limits of the law when applied to AI areas like facial recognition, automated weapons systems, and financial technology.
Patents Under Debate As Pharma Executives Face US Senate Committee 27/02/2019 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Executives of seven large pharmaceutical companies faced questioning yesterday from the United States Senate Finance Committee over high drug prices in the US, especially compared with other developed countries. One issue that came under the microscope was patents.
Asian NGOs Raise Concern Over IP And Seeds In RCEP Trade Deal 26/02/2019 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade agreement under negotiation among Asia and Pacific nations must not include measures that would undercut countries’ ability to protect diverse local farming systems and sustainable plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, a range of Asian nongovernmental organisations argue. Groups in India, Malaysia and the Philippines this week specifically called for the RCEP not to include the high-level protections under the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV).
New Research Study Describes DNDi As A “Commons” For Public Health 25/02/2019 by David Branigan, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Since 2003, Drugs for Neglected Diseases Initiative (DNDi) has worked to meet the public health needs of neglected populations by filling gaps in drug development left by the for-profit pharmaceutical industry. A new research study by the French Development Agency analysed DNDi’s unique product development partnership (PDP) model, and found that it “illustrate[s] what can be presented as a ‘commons’ within the area of public health.”
In Memoriam: Dilip Shah (1941-2019) 25/02/2019 by Intellectual Property Watch, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Dilip Shah was passionately committed to the twin causes of promoting fair access to medicines around the world, and to the success of the local Indian pharmaceutical industry. A bright light is out, writes Prof. Frederick Abbott.
D G Shah, Founder Of Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance, Dies At Age 77: Economic Times 22/02/2019 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Dilip Shah, founder of the Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA) the organisation that represented the interests of Indian drug makers passed away in Mumbai on Friday. He was 77. Known in the industry as “DG”, Mr Shah started the IPA when the Indian pharma companies were trying to find their feet in the global pharma landscape that was dominated by the multinational pharma companies predominantly based out of Europe and USA. Shah who himself spent most of his career with the MNC drug companies …