WTO To Extend Moratorium On Non-Violation Cases, E-Commerce Taxes 06/11/2009 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment World Trade Organization members reached agreement today to recommend extension of a moratorium on customs duties on electronic commerce, and a moratorium on challenging other WTO members under intellectual property rules for actions not in violation of the WTO, according to a WTO official.
IP Enforcement Work At WIPO Gets Boost From Developing Nations 06/11/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch and William New 2 Comments Developing countries this week increased their proactive involvement in the enforcement agenda at the World Intellectual Property Organization, according to participants at the 2-4 November Advisory Committee on Enforcement meeting.
IP Rights In A Quiet Tug-Of-War At UN Climate Change Negotiations 06/11/2009 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments BARCELONA – At this week’s global climate talks, efforts are being made to trim references to intellectual property rights in relation to technology transfer from the body of a non-paper and relegate much of it to an appendix. But developing countries have asked that those measures be brought back into the main text. An updated non-paper should be issued on Friday.
Technology Debated In UNFCCC Barcelona Talks; IP To Follow 05/11/2009 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment BARCELONA – After only a short break from the Bangkok climate talks, some 30 days before the Copenhagen climate change conference in December, delegates are back at the negotiating table for the last stretch of intense discussions. Among the issues discussed by delegates from 181 countries, technology appears preponderant, including the way to encourage environmentally sound technology (EST) innovation, and to transfer that technology to developing countries. Meanwhile, civil society is warning of possible new technology-related risks, and the issue of emission reductions is also being hotly discussed.
WIPO Power Struggle Looms Over Development Agenda Coordination 04/11/2009 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A struggle over the power and reach of the World Intellectual Property Organization Development Agenda may be looming as members of the UN agency begin to take control of implementation with differing views. Key developing countries say members must not only focus on specific projects but also on the broader agenda for change at WIPO. Developed countries want simple coordination with other committees without the heavy hand of fundamental change.
UNCITRAL Negotiating IP Finance Draft Text This Week 02/11/2009 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The United Nations Commission on International Trade Law (UNCITRAL) Working Group VI [security interests] is meeting in Vienna this week to work on the draft annex to the Legislative Guide on Secured Transactions, which focuses on intellectual property rights.
Medicines Access Again Captures Attention At WTO As Progress Urged In Round 30/10/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Access to medicine and preservation of biodiversity topped the agenda at the World Trade Organization Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights Council meeting this week, as a new alleged drug seizure in France, a concern over a largely-unused amendment to TRIPS intended to help developing countries gain access to medicine, and a renewed mandate on biodiversity at the World Intellectual Property Organization influenced the issues on the table.
Bilski Impact On Biotech Seen As Minimal; Experts See Court Shift 29/10/2009 by Sharon McLoone for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The intellectual property community is anxiously awaiting the United States Supreme Court’s reaction next month in the closely watched Bilski v. Kappos case, a legal feud over the validity of a patent covering a method of commodities trading. The outcome of the case could have broad implications for the patentability of business methods and software, which could potentially wallop the technology industry. It likely will have less impact in the biotechnology arena, experts said at the Biotechnology Industry Organization’s Intellectual Property Counsels Committee conference in Washington on Tuesday.
Changing Winds For Gene Patenting In the US? Stakeholders React To Draft Report 29/10/2009 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A United States health department advisory group this month produced a new draft report on gene patenting and licensing with recommendations suggesting that excessive patenting can limit patients’ access to gene testing and might not foster genetic research. The recommendations were supported by a variety of health professionals but put the biotechnology industry on edge.
US Federal Circuit May Offer Patent, Tech Policy Guidance For High Court 23/10/2009 by Winter Casey for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment WASHINGTON, DC – The United States Federal Circuit Court of Appeals should act more like a teacher to the Supreme Court and do a better job explaining its policy reasoning when it makes decisions on innovation-related cases, a top patent law academic said late Tuesday. If the Federal Circuit was clearer in how it landed at certain conclusions in patent disputes it might result in the Supreme Court opting to get involved in fewer patent cases, said Rochelle Dreyfuss, a professor at New York University School of Law.