Fall Is A Time For Farewells, Hellos At UN Agencies, Law Offices, NGOs, Industry 06/10/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment As autumn rolled in, two United Nations agencies chose global figures to help them with their missions, another has a new website, and changed heads, while non-governmental organisations, law offices, and industry also saw numerous changes at management level.
Partial Revocation Of EPO Patent On Sofosbuvir, Key For Hepatitis C 05/10/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments Following a public hearing at its headquarters in Munich, the European Patent Office (EPO) decided to reject in part the arguments made by Gilead Sciences to uphold their patent on sofosbuvir, according to a non-profit group.
WIPO Conference Archive Missing Video Critical Of Artificial Intelligence, Social Media Giants 05/10/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment This morning at the World Intellectual Property Organization General Assemblies, WIPO Director General Francis Gurry commented on the success of the WIPO Conference on the Global Digital Content Market, which took place in April. But the full video of the keynote speaker, who had sharp words for corporate internet giants and other new technologies, is missing from the archive.
WIPO Development Agenda Needs More Promotion, Country Involvement, Experts Say 05/10/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Has the adoption of the World Intellectual Property Organization Development Agenda in 2007 changed the culture of the organisation, and what did it achieve? According to panellists at a side event to this week’s WIPO General Assembly, the Development Agenda has not yet changed the culture of the organisation and its primary focus to support and protect intellectual property. However, WIPO should follow the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and collaborate with other UN agencies to include development consideration in its work, they say.
UNITAID-FIND Partnership To Scale Up Hepatitis C Diagnostics 04/10/2016 by Alexandra Nightingale for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Initiating a new partnership today, global health initiative UNITAID and the non-profit FIND began a project that will work towards the improvement, affordability and availability of diagnostics and treatments for the hepatitis C virus (HCV).
“We Are Here Today To Be Optimistic”: Stories And Advice From Women In IP 04/10/2016 by Alexandra Nightingale for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Under the banner of “inclusive trade,” last week’s World Trade Organization Public Forum hosted an array of sessions to discuss how a wider range of individuals and businesses can participate in the trading system. One prominent subject of discussion therein is how women can overcome the constraints and obstacles preventing them from accessing and obtaining the benefits of trade, and participate more fully in the field of intellectual property.
Free Trade Agreements Should Promote Generic Competition, Speakers Say At WTO 04/10/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The emphasis placed on the protection and enforcement of intellectual property for medicines in trade negotiations is ignoring the distorting effects of this emphasis, such as the lack of competition incentives which are key to reduce medicines prices, speakers on a panel of generic drug industries said at the World Trade Organization Public Forum last week.
External Offices, WIPO Normative Work At Heart Of General Assemblies 03/10/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The decision-making bodies of the World Intellectual Property Organization are meeting this week with the hope of advancing discussions of pending potential treaties to protect broadcasting organisations, and simplifying the international applications for industrial designs. Meanwhile, Director General Francis Gurry opened the annual WIPO General Assemblies with a look at the past year and challenges for the future.
Big Week For WIPO Marrakesh Treaty On Access For Visually Impaired; Human Rights Side Under Focus 03/10/2016 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The World Intellectual Property Organization treaty on copyright exceptions for print-disabled readers entered into effect on 30 September, and trading in accessible format works began immediately. This week, the treaty will be a highlight of the annual WIPO General Assemblies, and is expected to come up at the parallel UN Social Forum taking place next door.
Ecommerce Seen As Opportunity For All Countries But Hurdles Remain, WTO Panels Say 03/10/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Electronic commerce was a focus of the World Trade Organization Public Forum last week, a nod to its continuing rise in global importance. Several panels looked at how to integrate developing countries and small and medium-size enterprises into the global stream of online trade. Although ecommerce is an opportunity for developing countries, many hurdles remain for them, most obviously the digital divide, speakers said.