US Defends Investor-State Provisions; EU Promotes TTIP Consultation 27/03/2014 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Investor-state provisions in trade and investment agreements, which allow private companies to sue governments for policies taken that undermine the companies’ investment expectations, have come under recent scrutiny for their potential to undermine the public interest. Today, the United States Trade Representative published a blog post defending these provisions, while the European Union opened a public consultation on the provisions in the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) with the US.
WHO Members Discuss Engagement With Non-State Actors This Week 27/03/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Health Organization this week is holding an information consultation with member states on the UN agency’s engagement with “non-state actors.” The meeting follows a request by member states at the January WHO Executive Board to pursue discussions on a framework for the organisation’s engagement with non-state actors, which has been changing in recent years.
Australia Accepts Indonesia WTO Dispute On Tobacco Packaging; Calls For Five Disputes To Be Joined 27/03/2014 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Australia yesterday took the unusual move of agreeing to the first request by Indonesia to establish a World Trade Organization dispute panel against it. The ready acceptance of the panel request was an attempt by Australia to bring the some or all of the five separate cases against its tobacco plain packaging law together for resource reasons and to protect the integrity of the WTO dispute settlement mechanism, it said in a statement to the Dispute Settlement Body.
New Draft Text At WIPO On Protection Of Traditional Knowledge 27/03/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment This morning, the World Intellectual Property Organization committee on traditional knowledge issued a revised set of draft articles of an international instrument aimed at protecting traditional knowledge against misappropriation.
Indigenous Peoples Present Their Perspectives On Traditional Knowledge At WIPO 25/03/2014 by Maëli Astruc for Intellectual Property Watch and Julia Fraser for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Representatives of indigenous peoples opened a key meeting at the World Intellectual Property Organization with a discussion of the definition of traditional knowledge (TK), the presence of TK in the public domain, and respect for indigenous peoples’ rights under the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
WIPO TK Committee Chair Adjourns Session Abruptly, Demands Clear Positions 24/03/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization meeting on traditional knowledge and folklore meeting this week was abruptly adjourned by the chair this afternoon, to reconvene tomorrow morning, with a head-on challenge to governments.
US Corporate IP Counsel Hear Latest Updates On Patent System 24/03/2014 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment NEW YORK – “This is a very, very exciting time be in patent law,” Drew Hirshfeld, deputy commissioner for patent examination policy at the US Patent and Trademark Office, told a group of intellectual property lawyers last week. In his keynote address to the 19-20 March Corporate IP Counsel meeting in Manhattan, Hirshfeld and a range of private sector speakers laid out a picture of a highly dynamic field, with legal and business opportunities and challenges changing every day.
Analysis Shows Mixed Results On Big Pharma R&D Efforts For TB 24/03/2014 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment In time for World TB Day today, an analysis has been published of research and development being carried out for tuberculosis by the 20 largest pharmaceutical companies.
WIPO In Marathon Two Weeks To Advance On Protection Of TK And Folklore 24/03/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment World Intellectual Property Organization members today launched a marathon meeting to advance work on a potential legal instrument to protect traditional knowledge and folklore from misappropriation and exploitation. The committee, which has been convening for well over 10 years, is hoping to finalise texts over the next two weeks.
WIPO Design Treaty Fate Left To Assembly, Despite Shift On Technical Assistance 21/03/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization committee on trademarks could not agree this week to recommend the convening of a high-level meeting to adopt a treaty on industrial designs.