WIPO Development And IP Committee This Week: Agenda Includes Flexibilities, Tech Transfer, SDGs, Studies 27/11/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Following a session in May hailed as the most positive in years, the World Intellectual Property Organization Committee on Development and Intellectual Property reconvenes this week. Among items to be discussed are a revised proposal by the African Group to convene a biennial international conference on IP and development, how to deal with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and recommendations of an independent review of the implementation of the 2007 WIPO Development Agenda Recommendations.
Access To Affordable Healthcare: A Global Wake-Up Call Fosters Coalition Of The Like-Minded 27/11/2017 by Patralekha Chatterjee for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment NEW DELHI — Few topics in the global health agenda are as contentious as access to affordable medicines and medical care, and expectedly, divergent views permeated the discussions at a high-level conference in New Delhi, India last week. But if there is one thing that the three-day meet made amply clear, it was this: access to affordable healthcare has emerged as a global problem, and an emerging coalition of the like-minded, cutting across the developed and developing countries, is determined to have their voices heard in international policy circles on the issue.
EPO: New Employment Rules Roil Staff; Management Responds On Demand For More Productivity 27/11/2017 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Outgoing European Patent Office President Benoȋt Battistelli has proposed a new “employment framework” that includes fixed-term contracts for patent examiners, reigniting anger among staff members already in a tense relationship with management. There is also concern that Battistelli’s apparent push – which the EPO denies – for more products (defined as prior art searches and proposals for patent grants) is hurting patent quality.
Medicines Excitement In The Netherlands – New Health Minister Announces Firm Action On “Absurd” Medicines Pricing And Gets The European Medicines Agency 27/11/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The new Minister of Health of the Netherlands, Bruno Bruins, came in guns blazing when he put the pharmaceutical industry on notice and announced on 22 November to “change the rules of the game” to tackle, what he called “absurd” medicines pricing, writes Ellen ‘t Hoen.
‘The WHO Does Not Have A Board’: New WHO Director Pushes To Make Agency More Efficient 24/11/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (Tedros) admonished member states at the close of this week’s special session of the WHO Executive Board charged with examining the agency’s draft work programme for 2019-2023. A trust deficit among member states leads to the multiplication of national statements, impeding efficiency, he said. Meanwhile, a number of countries called for affordable and accessible medicines, and help to manufacture generic medicines locally, while the United States pushed the role of the private sector.
Breeders Group CIOPORA Calls For New Plant Varieties To Be Patentable 23/11/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A new “position paper” by a plant breeders industry group revives the argument that plant-related inventions should be patentable. New plant breeding techniques modifying the plant genome are not essentially biological processes, thus should be patentable, the paper says. The group also calls for a worldwide harmonised research exemption on plant variety rights and patents for the purpose of improving the invention.
WTO Dispute Panel Set For Qatar IP Case; Appellate Body Appointments Still Stuck 22/11/2017 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A World Trade Organization dispute settlement panel today was established on request of Qatar, which is challenging measures by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) taken in the name of anti-terrorism but which Qatar says unfairly violate its intellectual property rights and other WTO rules. Separately, also at today’s WTO Dispute Settlement Body meeting, members continued to be at odds over a closely watched disagreement on appointing new Appellate Body members.
WHO Members Delve Into Draft 5-Year Work Programme, Question Finance, Focus 22/11/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments World Health Organization member states’ first reactions to the secretariat-proposed draft work programme for the next five years were mixed this morning. Although many praised the effort and the vision of the programme of work, in particular its alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, a number of countries found the programme ambitious without the needed financial backing, and sometimes straying from the core function of the organisation.
WHO Draft Work Program To Be Presented, Discussed 21/11/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Health Organization is presenting its draft work program for 2019-2023 for consideration by member states this week.
Get Prepared For A Passel Of EU Legislation On Copyright And Related Rights 21/11/2017 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments This week several committees in the European Parliament voted on a pile of copyright-related dossiers, and in some instances the steps taken were really small. But the issues include controversial aspects in the legislative drafts on copyright review, broadcasting content and digital content, such as an obligation for providers to monitor third party content, intermediary liability and website blocking.