IPRs Feature Prominently In WTO Trade Policy Review Of India 03/06/2015 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Intellectual property rights are among the issues given detailed analysis in the latest trade policy review of India by the World Trade Organization under review this week. Turns out, India has been quite busy on IP rights over the past few years.
UN Review Of WSIS Intensifies; Questions About ICANN Board Role In IANA Handover 02/06/2015 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment This year’s United Nations review of implementation of the 2005 World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) is picking up pace. Meanwhile, intensive efforts continue to meet a September target for the handover from the United States of key underlying functions of the internet.
Firm Performance In Countries With & Without Open Copyright Exceptions 01/06/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Mike Palmedo writes: This post presents preliminary data showing that firms in industries sensitive to copyright can succeed in countries other than the US when copyright limitations include fair use. It is an early product of an interdisciplinary project at American University, in which legal researchers are working with economics professor Walter Park to study how country’s copyright exceptions effect economic outcomes. The project has been undertaken as part of American University’s larger role coordinating the Global Network on Copyright User Rights. The research supports and expands on other recent research attempting to measure the value of fair use abroad.
European Parliament Trade Committee Tries To Defuse TTIP Controversy But Outcome Remains Uncertain 29/05/2015 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment European Commission negotiators should back away from a controversial provision in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) deal that would allow companies to sue governments in arbitration courts over claimed unequal treatment, the European Parliament International Trade Committee (INTA) said on 28 May. MEPs called instead for publicly appointed, independent judges, public hearings and an appellate mechanism that respects the jurisdiction of EU and national courts, the committee said.
140+ NGOs Urge WTO Members To Grant Extension Of LDC Pharma Waiver 29/05/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments Over 140 non-governmental organisations, most of them local from developing countries, have co-signed a letter to World Trade Organization members to ask they agree to a request by least-developed countries to extend a waiver on their obligation to enforce intellectual property rights on pharmaceutical products.
Lack Of Locally Relevant Online Content Deters Mobile Users In Developing Countries, WSIS Panel Says 28/05/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Although most people in the world live within reach of a mobile internet signal, a considerable amount of mobile users in developing countries are not using the opportunity to go online. One of the factors, according to a panel today, is the lack of locally relevant content.
Panel: Compulsory Licensing Could Address High-Priced Medicines In Europe 28/05/2015 by Eimear Murphy for Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The high prices of medicine, which affects access to affordable medicine, was a theme of the annual World Health Assembly over the past week. In one side event, a panel discussed compulsory licensing as a vehicle to be used in combatting the high prices of medicine, not only in developing countries, but in Europe.
World Health Assembly Concludes With Actions On Range Of Issues 27/05/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The 68th World Health Assembly (WHA), which took place from 18-26 May, was characterised as one of the most successful annual assemblies ever by Margaret Chan, World Health Organization director general. From the standpoint of intellectual property, access and innovation, this may be debatable. Below is a guide to the main accomplishments highlighted by Intellectual Property Watch. These include: action plans to fight antibiotic resistance and to boost vaccinations, extension of the Global Strategy and Plan of Action on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property (GSPA), incremental progress on alternative research and development for neglected diseases, status of the pandemic influenza preparedness framework, response to emergencies like Ebola, and WHO’s relationship with lobbyists and donors.
WHO Engagement With Non-State Actors: No Deal This Year, Work To Continue 26/05/2015 by Catherine Saez and William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The annual World Health Assembly closed today following a decision to postpone for one year completion of a new policy on the UN agency’s engagement with industry, foundations and other “non-state actors.”
WHA Committees Approve Plans On Antimicrobial Resistance, Vaccines, Innovation 25/05/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Today, member states in committee at the World Health Assembly adopted the first global plan of action to address the issue of antimicrobial resistance, and a global plan of action on vaccines. In addition, a mechanism on public health, innovation and intellectual property was postponed until 2022, and a deadline for its evaluation moved to 2018.