Trade Commissioner: EU To Seek GIs In US FTA, But ‘No New ACTA’ 21/02/2013 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments There will be a chapter on intellectual property protection in the draft proposals for a US-EU free trade agreement – the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) – EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht said today at a meeting of the International Trade Committee of the European Union in Brussels. The TTIP will be a comprehensive agreement that will create the largest free trade zone in the world, according to De Gucht.
South Africa: Beating About The Rooibos 15/02/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Prof. Owen Dean writes: It is a fact of life that attempts have been made in certain other countries to usurp control of the term or mark ROOIBOS, despite the fact that it is a well-known South African description for a particular plant which gives rise to ROOIBOS tea. The term ROOIBOS is as typically South African as “braaivleis” and “biltong”. It is really part of our South African heritage. The South African authorities have nonetheless taken no concrete or effective steps to protect and control the use of this term in South Africa or elsewhere.
UN Takes On Organised Crime And Fraudulent Medicines 15/02/2013 by William New and Tiphaine Nunzia Caulier for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The United Nations has become a focal point for global efforts to fight organised crime’s trafficking of fraudulent medicines that put millions of people – especially the poor – at risk. And a recent pharmaceutical industry report on such medicines recommended some solutions.
EU Digital Agenda 101: From Supporting Research To Meeting Social Challenges 13/02/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The following is a reprint from the EU research and development network, Cordis, summarising recent activity on the EU Digital Agenda. The Digital Agenda for Europe and its 101 actions form a vital part of the overall Europe 2020 strategy for securing smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. The actions are organised in seven pillars, or ‘containers’: digital single market, interoperability and standards, trust and security, fast and ultra-fast internet access, research and innovation, digital literacy, skills and inclusion, and ICT-enabled benefits for EU society. In the previous part of this story we covered the digital single market, interoperability, security, and fast internet access. Next we look at ICT support for research…
UK Appoints IP Attaché To ASEAN Countries 12/02/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office has appointed its fourth IP attaché, this time to represent UK businesses in the 10 countries that make up the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
Year Ahead In IP, Biotech, Biodiversity: A Trio Fuelling Debates, Opportunities In 2013 12/02/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The coming year promises to be very interesting at the intersection of intellectual property with biotechnology and biodiversity. Patentability of human genes in the United States, of conventionally bred plants in Europe, plant breeders’ rights and the management of regulatory authorisations when patents on genetic traits expire, the future of genetically modified organisms in developing countries, and the usual resistance they are meeting from civil society and famers’ groups are some of the issues that will continue to feed debates – and potentially create opportunities – in 2013.
South Korea Inks Copyright Protection Deal With Vietnam 11/02/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Manila, Philippines – The Republic of Korea, or South Korea, has signed an agreement with Vietnam for stronger collaboration in the area of copyright protection. This reflects South Korea’s continuing and more aggressive campaign to protect its copyrighted works here in southeast Asia.
Draft Text On Protection Of Genetic Resources On Its Way To WIPO Assembly 08/02/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments At the end of a weeklong drafting exercise, World Intellectual Property Organization delegates have produced a text on the protection of genetic resources that appears to be headed to the organisation’s annual General Assembly next September. And some members hope that a high-level meeting will be convened in the course of 2014 to agree on an international instrument or instruments protecting genetic resources against misappropriation.
WIPO Update: Improved Text On Genetic Resources; Disclosure Still Undecided 08/02/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The second revision of a text on the protection of genetic resources was provided to the World Intellectual Property Organization country delegates this morning. The document, which has been streamlined by facilitators, contains a number of bracketed text, showing divergences which will require further work, including resolving how to track origin of genetic material in patent applications.
Genetic Origin In Food And Agriculture Difficult To Identify, Say Seed Treaty Officials 08/02/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Global food security lies in the capacity to access and contribute to a wide pool of genetic material, the chair of the United Nations treaty on plant genetic material said on the margin of this week’s World Intellectual Property Organization meeting on the protection of genetic resources. But the origin of this genetic material is often impossible to determine, particularly for crops, the treaty secretary said.