Proposals For Single EU Patent Issued; Doubts About EU Patent Court Remain 13/04/2011 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Legislative proposals for a single European patent emerged from the European Commission this week. If approved by the European Parliament and Council, the measures will make patents granted in one country valid in all participating EU member states and drastically cut the cost of patent protection, the Commission said. Patent lawyers praised the proposals but said the issue of an EU-wide patent litigation court must be resolved first.
EPO Patent Applications Hit All-Time Record, Medical Technology In Lead 13/04/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The European Patent Office (EPO) announced today that patent applications reached an all-time record in 2010, with an increase of 11 percent over 2009. According to a press release, 235,000 patent filings were received by the EPO in 2010.
Study: Patent Applications Rise On Flu Genetic Resources; Questioning WIPO Report 13/04/2011 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment As a backdrop to World Health Organization members meeting this week in search of a global strategy for future influenza pandemics, the pharmaceutical industry and other actors have been developing a keen interest in patents on influenza genetic resources. A sharp and sustained increase in patent activity on those materials was pointed out by a civil society group in a new report, which it says challenges a recent report by the World Intellectual Property Organization.
Preparing The World For Influenza Pandemic, Industry Role Key, Says WHO 12/04/2011 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 6 Comments An influenza pandemic is like the sword of Damocles over the world, and the recent H1N1 pandemic showed that the global response was inadequate, said the co-chairs of a World Health Organization group working on influenza pandemic preparedness meeting this week.
Europe Creates Orphan Works Registry, Copyright ID System; Digitises EU Content 12/04/2011 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A European Commission-backed project to identify copyright holders and define orphan works – whose copyright owners cannot be found – recently presented its results and is heading to a second phase with more partners. The project advances the European effort at digitalising content through the Europeana project, a competing project to the Google Books project.
Superconductivity Is Celebrated This Year, Further Work Needed To Tame It 09/04/2011 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A hundred years ago, Dutch physicist Heike Kamerlingh Onnes and his student Gilles Holst discovered a property that was to launch decades of fervent research to understand the phenomenon: Superconductivity. Today, researchers are still trying to find ways to use this remarkable property, but are celebrating the centenary of its discovery.
Two More Countries Sign Nagoya Protocol 08/04/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The secretariat of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity announced on 7 April that two more countries have ratified the Nagoya Protocol.
WHO Experts On R&D Financing Aim To Find Solutions, With Short Timeline 08/04/2011 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The search for innovative solutions to engage research and development of health products for diseases that particularly affect developing countries is the core mission of a World Health Organization working group that met this week in a special mostly open session. The group of experts will assess proposals and deliver its recommendations next year.
Study: Change Needed At Plant Varieties Agency; WTO Talks Food Standards 08/04/2011 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A new study has recommended changes at the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) in Geneva, which is seen as having an enormous impact on global agricultural research. Separately, World Trade Organization members recently discussed the trade impact of private standards for food.
Open Access Database Of Key HIV Patents Launched By Medicines Patent Pool 07/04/2011 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The Medicines Patent Pool, an initiative aiming at increasing access to HIV drugs through voluntary licences of patented drugs, has launched a new database of patent information on HIV medicines.