Next WTO Ministerial To Be Held In Bali In December 2013 27/07/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Trade Organization will hold its next ministerial level meeting in Bali, Indonesia, in the first week of December 2013, it announced today.
US Congressional Committee Cancels Briefing, Blames WIPO Director General 24/07/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments The United States House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee today cancelled its briefing on computer equipment shipments to Iran and North Korea authorised by the World Intellectual Property Organization. The committee took the action after WIPO Director General Francis Gurry blocked two senior staff from participating in the meeting.
Interview: Director Francis Gurry On Vision, Priorities For WIPO 24/07/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment In the midst of negotiations in the World Intellectual Property Organization copyright committee, Intellectual Property Watch caught up with WIPO Director General Francis Gurry on 20 July to discuss his vision and priorities for the organisation. Gurry, who took office in 2008 for a six-year term, spoke about rulemaking negotiations, popular IP infrastructure programmes, the coming explosion in trademark law, and calculating the organisation’s development expenditures.
Access To Medicines And Intellectual Property In Jordan 23/07/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments A new study sponsored by the Medicines Transparency Alliance (MeTA) sheds light on the impact of strong intellectual property protection on access to medicines.
US Congressional Committee Urged To Invite WIPO Staff Involved In Computer Shipments 23/07/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization has notified the US congressional committee scheduled to hold a briefing tomorrow on WIPO technical assistance shipments of computers and software to North Korea and Iran that the committee should invite staff who have more direct knowledge of those activities.
WIPO Staff Council President To Testify Before US Congressional Committee 21/07/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization official who informed the US House Foreign Affairs Committee of WIPO shipments of computers to Iran and North Korea will testify before the committee on Tuesday.
WIPO’s Gurry Discusses Iran/North Korea; Denies Whistleblower Retaliation 20/07/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments World Intellectual Property Organization Director General Francis Gurry today said the UN agency has cut off its programme of providing computer equipment to countries in order to eliminate doubts in “certain countries” about the programme as it relates to Iran and North Korea, and said he is moving swiftly to establish an independent review. He also said that he would authorise any WIPO official with competence for the programme to testify about it if asked.
WIPO Announces New Policy On Assistance To North Korea, Iran 19/07/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The World Intellectual Property Organization today announced a new policy for dealing with countries sanctioned under the United Nations and has discontinued the provision of computer hardware to countries such as North Korea and Iran. It said its past assistance is being reviewed by relevant UN sanctions committees, but that it believes it was not in violation.
IP Exchange ‘Getting Some Teeth’; First Offerings Likely In Autumn 19/07/2012 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A new system to more effectively licence technology and facilitate the trading of intellectual property rights will come online later this year – and an increasing number of countries are taking notice.
Industry Groups Press For EU, US Action On Trade Secret Protection 16/07/2012 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments Theft of trade secrets, or “confidential business information,” has reached such an appalling level that legislative action is needed, industry groups say. They’re pushing the European Union and United States to get involved, and may be making headway.