WTO TRIPS Council To Decide On LDC Pharma Extension, Non-Violation Complaints 13/10/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The intellectual property committee of the World Trade Organization is meeting this week with a full agenda. The highlight of the agenda is the extension of a waiver allowing least developed countries to choose not to enforce intellectual property rights on pharmaceutical products. Also high on the agenda is a decision on whether to extend a moratorium banning IP from complaints not linked to any breached WTO agreement, and the annual review of special compulsory licence for exporting pharmaceutical products.
WIPO Reports On Domain Name Disputes, Sets New Targets 12/10/2015 by Marianna Drake for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization has seen increased activity in its work on arbitration and mediation of disputes, including domain names, and has proposed new targets for the coming biennium.
Resale Right Should Be Added To WIPO Copyright Committee, Authors Say 12/10/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Resale right, which refers to royalties that visual artists can claim on the resale of their work by art dealers, should be discussed at the World Intellectual Property Organization, according to an international association of authors. An international harmonised framework does not currently exist.
G7 Health Ministers Propose Incentives For New Antibiotics, Commit Help On Ebola 12/10/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The health ministers of the Group of Seven (G7) most developed countries have issued a declaration on antimicrobial resistance and Ebola. The governments said they would explore innovative economic incentives to promote research and development of new antibiotics, such as a global antibiotic research fund and a market entry reward mechanism.
WTO Paper Could Spark New Ideas On TRIPS Special Compulsory Licence For Medicines Export 12/10/2015 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments A carefully agreed 2003 waiver from international intellectual property trade rules to allow export of medicines made under compulsory licence to benefit needy countries has been quietly implemented by a large number of World Trade Organization members, according to a new analytical paper from the WTO. The analysis explores the limited use of the waiver to date and how the situation has changed since then, providing grist for a potential fresh look at the provision at this week’s annual WTO review of IP and public health.
Trademark: Low Visual Similarity, No Phonetic Similarity, But Still Confusingly Similar? 12/10/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment In 2007, a Polish company filed an application for a composite European Community trademark comprising the representation in colour of a crocodilian with its torso made up from the letters of the word “kajman” in printed characters for, among others, classes 18 (leather goods) and 25 (clothing, footwear).
WIPO Explains Its Role In Sustainable Development Goals And The UN 11/10/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization is a United Nations agency based in Geneva. At the time of the recent activity at UN headquarters in New York over the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, Minelik Alemu Getahun, WIPO Assistant Director General, took time to explain in a written Q&A what WIPO’s involvement is in the SDGs and IP agency’s evolving relationship with the UN.
International Red Cross ‘Makeathon’ To Help Persons With Disabilities In Rural Areas 10/10/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) will launch in November the Enable Makeathon, a programme aimed at developing affordable solutions for persons with disabilities in rural areas.
Chatham House Report On Antibiotics Gives Evidence For Drug R&D Delinkage 09/10/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A new report from Chatham House presenting suggestions for novel business models for antibiotics calls for models in which the return on investment in research and development is not dependent on the volume of sales, also known as delinkage.
WIPO Hears From The Creators Behind Copyright Protection In Global Film 09/10/2015 by Marianna Drake for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A private sector panel at the World Intellectual Property Organization this week explored the collaborative relationships that develop between screenwriters, producers, and directors around the world as they bring a project from an initial idea to a finished film. The panel also looked at the role of copyright law in the various stages of this film-making process.