Midem: Window Of Opportunity Closing For Digital Rights Management 25/01/2007 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch CANNES – The entertainment industry may have made too many mistakes for digital rights management to become the main model of remuneration in digital sales business models, said experts at the music fair Midem this week in Cannes and its “policy sister” MidemNet Forum last weekend. Paul Brindley, […]
Immediate Action For Global Health Plan Called For At WHO Meeting 23/01/2007 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen A proposal at the World Health Organization (WHO) for early gains on a global plan for improving treatments for overlooked diseases has been tabled at a high-level meeting this week. Intellectual property rules are among the proposed early actions. The proposal was put forward by Kenya and Switzerland in the […]
Questions Loom For WIPO Broadcasting Negotiation 23/01/2007 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By William New With one meeting left before a decision at the World Intellectual Property Organization to proceed with formal negotiations on a treaty boosting the rights of broadcasters and cablecasters, the prospects are unclear, according to officials. The WIPO Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights met from 17 to 19 January but struggled […]
Updating Chinese Traditional Medicine Policy Proves Problematic 19/01/2007 by Jia Hepeng for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Jia Hepeng for Intellectual Property Watch BEIJING – The revision of a long-controversial rule on traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is stranded amidst heated debates. While the government-led revision committee is analysing its stipulations for future implementation, some experts say the stagnancy is largely a result of the gap between the modern patent system and […]
WIPO Negotiators Try To Bear Down On Broadcasting Treaty 18/01/2007 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By William New World Intellectual Property Organization officials negotiating this week on how to improve broadcasters’ and cablecasters’ ability to protect their signals have attempted to move into a deeper debate using an informal chair’s text of a draft treaty. More discussion among negotiators arose on 18 January after a quiet first day, but the […]
WIPO Committee Seeks Footing For Broadcasting Treaty Talks 17/01/2007 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By William New Just months before full-fledged negotiations are expected to begin on a treaty to boost broadcasters’ and cablecasters’ rights, World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) negotiators meeting this week to iron out differences struggled to find their footing for a way forward. “It was a slow start,” said Jukka Liedes of Finland, chairman of […]
Report Assesses IP NGOs’ Impact On Developing Country Negotiators 17/01/2007 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Catherine Saez Non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are important players in intellectual property policy debates but should be aware of limitations and potential improvements to their influence with developing countries, according to a new report from the United Kingdom. NGOs working on intellectual property issues have had a considerable impact on the debate in multilateral institutions […]
Patent Reform, Copyright Enforcement Are Key European IP Issues for 2007 16/01/2007 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Last year saw the apparent demise of two hotly contested European Union intellectual property policy proposals, the European Patent Litigation Agreement (EPLA) and consideration of a pan-European copyright levy on blank audiovisual media. This year could prove a bit quieter, although a European Commission plan to criminalise some IP infringements may prove no less controversial.
Interview With Howard Zucker, Senior WHO Official On IP 15/01/2007 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment [Please note: This interview has been republished to clarify the transcription.] Howard Alan Zucker, assistant director general of health technology and pharmaceuticals at the World Health Organization, is among other things in charge of the Intergovernmental Working Group on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property (referred to as “IGWG”), which was set up by the […]
International Health IP Policy Issues To Be Watched In 2007 09/01/2007 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen The year 2006 was a busy one in terms of health policy developments related to intellectual property rights, and a quick look at the events ahead in 2007 shows that the coming year should be no less interesting.