EU Parliament Committee Receives Recommendations On Surveillance 19/12/2013 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs today received an oral summary of the draft recommendations on mass surveillance, after hearing the testimony of former Guardian reporter Glenn Greenwald.
US Intelligence Committee Chair To EU Parliament: NSA Necessary To Jointly Fight China 17/12/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Mike Rogers, chairman of the US House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, today defended the work of the National Security Agency and other intelligence agencies in the US at a meeting with members of the European Parliament, and called for a united front against the theft of intellectual property by China.
Swiss Group Finds Patent-Related Ethical Violations By Pharma Overseas 17/12/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The Berne Declaration, a Swiss non-profit, has released results of investigations that found industry-sponsored offshore clinical drug trials in developing countries involve “multiple ethical violations,” a problem increased by the patent-based industry business model.
TTIP Leak Illustrates Depth Of “Enhanced Regulatory Cooperation” As NGOs Sound Off 16/12/2013 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments In time for the start of the third round of trade negotiations between the United States and European Union, EU transparency organisation Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) published the first interesting leak on the substance of the talks.
KIPO, SIPO Sign Cooperation Agreement Including IP Transactions 16/12/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The intellectual property offices of Korea and China today announced they have signed a cooperation agreement on work-sharing, communication, and new areas of IP, including the commercial use of IP rights such as transactions involving patents.
Brazil Takes Steps Aimed At More Balanced IP Rights 13/12/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments As of today, the Brazilian Patent Office has a new president: Otávio Brandelli, according to an official announcement. Also today, the nation’s new amendment on collective management went into effect.
WIPO Assembly: Potential Design Treaty Misses Train To Russia In June, Still On Track For 2014 13/12/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments It took World Intellectual Property Organization members long hours in informal consultations over the past two days and far into last night to try solving two outstanding issues in the extraordinary session of the organisation’s General Assembly. Yet another extraordinary session is on the way in May to try to agree on the convening of a diplomatic conference – a high level treaty negotiation – on industrial designs later in 2014.
Future Scenarios, IP Tax Evasion, Informal Sector, And Patents In Africa 13/12/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA – A conference here on intellectual property, innovation and the public interest included a look at different possible futures for Africa, global IP tax evasion schemes, a discussion of the strong informal sector, and some views on the relative weakness of patent quality on the continent.
The EU-Thailand FTA: What Fate For Access To Medicines? 12/12/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Following the public outcry over the EU’s demands for stringent intellectual property rules that would dramatically raise medicines prices in India, you would expect the EU to think twice about making similar demands in future trade agreements, particularly with low- and middle-income countries. Yet, this is precisely what is going on now in the negotiations for a free trade agreement between the EU and Thailand, writes Tessel Mellema.
Medicines Patent Pool Strikes Deal With Bristol-Myers Squibb 12/12/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Medicines Patent Pool today announced a new agreement with biopharmaceutical company Bristol-Myers Squibb for an HIV medicine, which is expected to increase access in 110 developing countries.