EU Trade Commissioner Suggests Special Court For ISDS Cases 18/03/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment European Union Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem today defended the inclusion of investor-state dispute settlement panels in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), but offered several amendments for consideration.
Central European Countries Establish Visegrad Patent Institute To Reduce Costs, Facilitate Applications 18/03/2015 by Jaroslaw Adamowski for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment WARSAW – In a move towards increased regional cooperation in the field of intellectual property, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic have signed an agreement to set up the Visegrad Patent Institute (VPI). And representatives of the parties to the agreement say that their ambitions reach further, towards ensuring the recently-established body becomes a regional hub for patent cooperation in Central-Eastern Europe.
WIPO Members Discussing Industrial Designs, Geographical Indications This Week 17/03/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment World Intellectual Property Organization member governments are meeting this week to try to advance a proposal to convene a high-level negotiation for a procedural treaty on industrial designs. They also are discussing how geographical indications should be addressed in the committee on trademarks, industrial designs and geographical indications.
IP-Watch Geneva IP Delegates List Updated 17/03/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Intellectual Property Watch offers a partial list of the government delegates in Geneva with responsibility for intellectual property issues at the United Nations and World Trade Organization. The newly updated list is now available, exclusively for subscribers. [Note: IP-Watch content is free to most developing countries, just register online here]
CJEU Renders Landmark Decision On Private Copying Levies 16/03/2015 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment From Hogan Lovells: Private copying levies in the Member States have occupied the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) quite a few times, previously for example in decision C‑521/11 from 2013. With the current decision in Nokia vs. Copydan Båndkopi (C‑463/12), the CJEU answers some of the most discussed questions surrounding copyright levies […]
Gathering Looks At Governance Of WIPO, IP, In Multilateral Fora 16/03/2015 by Elena Bourtchouladze for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment On 5 March, the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) in collaboration with Oxford University’s Global Economic Governance Programme (GEG) hosted an event in Geneva to discuss challenges and issues in intellectual property governance.
Redesign Of Ebola Treatment Units Draws 1500 Innovations, Including Locally 16/03/2015 by Hillary Muheebwa for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments KAMPALA, UGANDA – In light of the persistence of the Ebola outbreak and the demands it has placed on global infection containment resources and processes, the United States government disaster response community recognised an opportunity to use open innovation to make significant strides in advancing the ability to combat Ebola. The results include a local success story.
Are Generics Companies Using Inter Partes Review To Overturn Patent Court Cases? 13/03/2015 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment NEW YORK – Will generics companies use a win under the new inter partes review mechanism in the United States to overturn pharmaceutical patents in court? A top attorney for a pharmaceutical innovator company says they could indeed. Meanwhile, a new analysis of the inter partes review so far shows it may not be as much of a cause for alarm as previously thought.
UN Human Rights Council Debates Report Criticising Copyright 11/03/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 13 Comments Copyright might run counter to human rights, says a new report from the United Nations Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights. In the report, she provides a number of recommendations, including encouraging UN World Intellectual Property Organization members to support the adoption of international instruments on limitations and exceptions to copyright. The report is under consideration by the Human Rights Council and was debated extensively today.
WIPO Encourages Participation Of Women In Intellectual Property System 11/03/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments As the United Nations celebrated Women Day on 8 March, the World Intellectual Property Organization had an ongoing initiative to encourage women’s participation in a WIPO social media platform on technology and innovation. Kaori Saito, gender and diversity specialist in the WIPO Human Resources Management Department, and Tomasz Liharewski, program officer, WIPO Global Infrastructure Sector, sat down this week with Intellectual Property Watch’s Catherine Saez to describe what the initiative was about and its outcome.