US Tech Industry Lobbyist Dodges “Wild West” Of WSIS 15/11/2005 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment To get a sense of how this week’s second UN World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Tunisia is different from the first WSIS held two years ago, one need only talk to a US technology industry lobbyist who this year decided to stay away. “People keep asking me what am I doing here,” […]
Consumers Misled In Tamiflu Debate, Workshop Argues 14/11/2005 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Consumers worldwide are being left in the dark as to governments’ stockpiles in case of an avian influenza pandemic, and the pharmaceutical industry has been unclear about the medicine supplies available, concluded an intellectual property right panel in Geneva recently. But the industry says it has its priorities in the right place. Neither the European […]
Workshop Highlights IP Hindrances For Avian Flu Drug Stockpiles 14/11/2005 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Panelists at a Geneva workshop on intellectual property issues related to a possible avian influenza pandemic argued that IP rules and prices could make it difficult for nations to prepare sufficient stockpiles. Panelists argued that practical problems could arise with the application of the World Trade Organization Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights […]
WHO: Patents Won’t Block Access To Avian Flu Medicines 10/11/2005 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Health Organisation does not think patents will stand in the way of an effective public health action in the event of an outbreak of avian flu in humans because pharmaceutical companies have showed a willingness to co-operate, a senior UN official said on 9 November. Margaret Chan, the WHO director-general’s representative for pandemic […]
November Edition of IP-Watch Monthly Reporter Available 10/11/2005 by Silja Halle for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A note to our readers: The November edition of Intellectual Property Watch’s Monthly Reporter is available on our website. The monthly publication, available online and in hard copy every month, features an updated compilation of top stories appearing on the IP-Watch Website (www.ip-watch.org). Click here to read the November edition. Spanish and French translations will […]
Global Focus Emerges On Avian Flu 08/11/2005 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Strategy for a possible outbreak of avian flu has been elevated from a national to an international level with a high-level meeting on a “plan of action” being held this week at the World Health Organisation. Intellectual property rights are on the agenda, but the focus during the first day and a half was bio-security […]
Industry Concerned About Development Agenda At WIPO 04/11/2005 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment At the recent World Intellectual Property Organisation General Assembly, an effort by some developing countries to increase WIPO’s orientation toward development issues met with a lobbying campaign by representatives of developed country industries that would be affected by the reform. The issue cuts across a number of industries invested in intellectual property rights, including pharmaceuticals, […]
EU Elevates Geographical Indications As Priority For Hong Kong 28/10/2005 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Geographical indications (GIs) have become a political issue and a key priority for the European Union in the run-up to the December World Trade Organization ministerial in Hong Kong as GIs today officially became part of the EU’s agriculture package. As the EU proposed further cuts in its agriculture sector as part of the current […]
TRIPS Council Issues Still Alive For WTO Ministerial 28/10/2005 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Trade Organization committee handling intellectual property issues finished four days of meetings with minimal progress in real terms, but kept several issues alive for the December WTO ministerial in Hong Kong. The WTO Council on the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) met from 25 to 28 October. Issues still […]
Pandemic Fears Raise Questions About WTO Health Waiver Opt-Out 27/10/2005 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment As nations prepare for a possible avian flu pandemic, some observers are raising questions about a seemingly obscure footnote in international trade law under which dozens of governments have agreed not to import cheap generic drugs made for poor countries. The concern is that the provision could make it difficult for those developed countries to […]