EU Takes Actions On Patent Law; ACTA May See Legal Fight 12/03/2011 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments In a flurry of patent-related developments in Europe this week, plans for a single European patent moved a step closer, efforts to create a European-wide patent court faltered, the United Kingdom sought guidance in a case with implications for medicinal research, and the EU high court may be asked to review the controversial Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA).
Caribbean IP: Establishing An Arbitral Tribunal For The Region 11/03/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments The use of arbitration across the Caribbean has been largely within the context of trade union disputes and is still something of a novelty in resolving commercial and private disputes in the region, Abiola Inniss writes.
World Blind Union Won’t Be Sidetracked In Quest For Treaty On Reading Access 10/03/2011 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments In a significant development for ongoing copyright negotiations at the World Intellectual Property Organization, the World Blind Union has distanced itself from initiatives it sees as distractions from a primary goal at the international level: To get agreement on a treaty promoting better access to reading material for visually impaired readers.
Vaccines Alliance Gets New CEO 10/03/2011 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A key Geneva-based public-private initiative to increase global vaccination has named a new CEO.
Medicines Patent Pool Aims To Increase Access To HIV Drugs In Developing Countries 10/03/2011 by Tavengwa Runyowa for Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments The newly created Medicines Patent Pool promises to increase access to HIV/AIDS medications in developing markets. Based in Geneva, Switzerland, the pool operates a scheme in which pharmaceutical patent holders voluntarily licence their drugs to generic manufacturers who then produce more affordable versions for patients in poorer countries
Media Piracy In Emerging Economies Report Stirs Debate 09/03/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A large (440-page) new report on media piracy in emerging economies is stirring significant debate in internet copyright and open access circles, as it purports to turn rights owner assertions and the basis for developed country IP policy on their heads.
Commerce Secretary Locke Nominated US Ambassador To China 09/03/2011 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment US President Obama today nominated current US Commerce Secretary Gary Locke to be ambassador to China. US intellectual property rights holders see it as a positive contribution to what they see as a fight against massive piracy and counterfeiting from China.
UN Rapporteur On Food Offers Long-Term Answer To Food Crisis: Agroecology 09/03/2011 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The annual report of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Olivier De Schutter, to the sixteenth session of the UN Human Rights Council yesterday is unequivocal. There must be a global agricultural shift toward more productive, environmentally friendly, sustainable modes of production, using natural resources to remediate world hunger, away from industrialised agriculture. In short, the world needs a shift to agroecology.
Free Press Changes Leaders 09/03/2011 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Free Press, a US non-profit working to reform media, announced that its president is stepping down after almost a decade, to be replaced by the current managing director in mid-April.
Law Firms Making Changes To IP Staff 09/03/2011 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A number of law firms and a key trademark industry group have made changes in recent weeks aimed at boosting their intellectual property practices.