WHO IP Commission Seeks To Overcome Leak Of Report To Industry 23/01/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen and William New A closed-door World Health Organisation commission appears to have reached tentative agreement on a draft report on intellectual property rights and public health, according to sources familiar with the situation, despite an alleged earlier leak of the draft or some portion of the draft to industry. The […]
Benefit To LDC Manufacturers From Roche HIV/AIDS Offer Unclear 20/01/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche has launched a new initiative under which it says it will offer manufacturers in least developed countries technical assistance in producing generic HIV/AIDS medicines, but it is unclear how many companies will be able to benefit from the project. There could be as few as five manufacturers in sub-Saharan Africa that […]
US Official: Vigilance Needed To Prevent Re-Opening Of Internet Governance Debate 19/01/2006 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Prague – A senior Bush administration official said on 17 January that “constant vigilance” is required this year to prevent new efforts to change the governance of the Internet. David Gross, US coordinator for international communications and information policy at the US State Department, made the comment at an event sponsored by the Progress and […]
Industry Readies For Round Two Of EU Patent Directive 19/01/2006 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments Prague — Patent-dependent industries that spent heavily for lobbying on a failed directive on the patentability of computer-related inventions are learning from their mistakes as they prepare for the possible resurrection of the issue. Lobbyists attending a Progress and Freedom Foundation (PFF) in Prague on 17 January signalled they will move early on the patent […]
Kenyan R&D Proposal Possibly Among IP Issues For WHO Board 17/01/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Kenya has submitted a proposal for a new global framework for research and development to the World Health Organisation Executive Board, but procedural issues may prevent it from being included on the agenda of the board’s 23-28 January meeting, according to sources. The Kenyan proposal is one of several intellectual property issues that could come […]
WIPO Committee Puts Brakes On New Construction As Secretariat Lashes Out 14/01/2006 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A key committee of member governments of the World Intellectual Property Organisation this week halted progress on a disputed new construction project at the UN body that has been the subject of a criminal investigation. The WIPO Program and Budget Committee (PBC), which met 11-13 January, also increased member states’ ability to scrutinise WIPO’s budget […]
Disagreements Further Delay WHO IP Commission Report 13/01/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A World Health Organization commission on intellectual property rights has failed to meet its deadline for a report that was to be presented to the WHO Executive Board later this month because of disagreement among its members. The WHO Commission on Intellectual Property Rights, Innovation and Public Health (CIPIH) was set up in February 2004 […]
Chile Urges WIPO To Act To Protect Public Domain 12/01/2006 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments The government of Chile this week submitted a proposal to an upcoming meeting of the World Intellectual Property Organisation’s new committee on the development agenda that calls for positive steps to protect information in the public domain. The first meeting of the new Provisional Committee on Proposals Related to a WIPO Development Agenda will be […]
Who Shall Own .China or .Arabia? Internet IP Questions On The Rise 11/01/2006 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch The cry for internationalized Internet domain names (IDNs) gets louder at every meeting related to Internet management, standardisation or politics. But questions of technology that once slowed the spread of Internet names into other languages have now been overtaken by policy questions, including those relating to intellectual property. […]
Review Finds WIPO Management Fraud Possible; Members May Act 21/12/2005 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment An independent review of management practices at the UN World Intellectual Property Organisation found that widespread allegations of fraud in recent years could have occurred, and made recommendations for improvements. The finding is likely to lead to further action by WIPO member governments to strengthen safeguards against illegal or unethical practices. “Member states are keen […]