WIPO Issues Call For Papers On Evaluation Of IP And Development 09/06/2011 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The 2007 World Intellectual Property Organization Development Agenda instituted an evaluation process at the UN agency, and now WIPO is seeking best practices for evaluating the impact of intellectual property rights on development. The WIPO Evaluation Section has issued a call for papers for a seminar to be held in October.
Pakistan: Anti-Terror Crackdown Brings IPR Relief To Mobile Phone Brands 09/06/2011 by Shahzada Irfan Ahmed for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A recent drive against the use of mobile phones without valid International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers in terrorism-struck Pakistan has given respite to established brands and authorised dealers. The proliferation of copied and smuggled cell phones in the country, with little intellectual property rights enforcement, had resulted in a decrease in their sales volumes, industry representatives said. In addition, the government is moving to restore an intellectual property law that industry thinks could help its efforts.
Merck Donates Natural Products Library For Research 08/06/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Pharmaceutical manufacturer Merck will donate its entire library of natural products to the Institute for Hepatitis and Virus Research along with a grant, the institute announced this week. The library, one of the world’s largest, will be open for researchers around the world.
Drug Access Issues In Spotlight At UN High-Level Meeting On HIV, WIPO Event 08/06/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments This week the United Nations meets in New York with the possibility of finding a way to end the HIV crisis that in the past two decades spread like wildfire and decimated societies in many developing countries, in particular in sub-Saharan Africa.
Let The WIPO Dialogues Begin! 01/06/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Negotiators at the UN World Intellectual Property Organization in Geneva will have a new conference hall in which to debate in 2013, with construction starting this summer, according to a press release.
Partnership To Share Research, Keep IP Rights, On Neglected Diseases 01/06/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) signed an agreement with pharmaceutical manufacturer Sanofi on 30 May for a three-year research project on nine neglected tropical diseases that will come with intellectual property rights on research results for both sides, according to a press release from the international organisation in Switzerland.
Outgoing US Commerce Chief Backs House Patent Reform Bill, Nearly 31/05/2011 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Outgoing United States Commerce Secretary Gary Locke today gave near-complete approval of legislation to reform US patent law which is awaiting action in the House of Representatives.
Proposed EU Customs Regulation May Not Dispel Fear Of Wrongful Drug Seizures 31/05/2011 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The European Commission has issued a new draft customs regulation that it says addresses past concerns over wrongful seizures of generic drug shipments transiting through European ports. But the new regulation does not substantively change existing rules, it said, and civil society groups say it does not go far enough. The EU regulation is the subject of a World Trade Organization dispute settlement case.
G8 Highlights Internet, IP Rights, Innovation, WIPO 27/05/2011 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Leaders of the Group of Eight industrialised countries today concluded their annual meeting, this year held in Deauville, France, with a communiqué bearing extensive discussion of the internet, intellectual property rights, and innovation – and a call for the World Intellectual Property Organization to step up work. In fact, it had a lot more to say about these issues than it did about the global economy or trade.
New “Final” ACTA Text Published, Open For Signature 27/05/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments A new “final” text of the secretive but potent Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) has been published by the European Commission, according to the Foundation for Free Information Infrastructure (FFII).