WIPO Assembly Closes On Cooperative But Serious Note 04/10/2006 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By William New The 2006 annual assemblies of the World Intellectual Property Organization ended on 3 October with a somewhat rare spirit of cooperation and some stiff reminders about the policy and administrative work to be done in the coming year. WIPO’s 183 members in the 25 September to 3 October General Assembly reached agreement […]
Reforma del sistema de patentes de EE.UU.: ¿Se aprobará en 2007? 04/10/2006 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Por Sarah Lai Stirland para Intellectual Property Watch La pujante intentona de las compañías de tecnología de la información en los Estados Unidos para transformar el sistema de patentes de su país avanzó poco en el Congreso estadounidense en 2006 debido a la contrarréplica de las industrias farmacéuticas y de biotecnología. Sin embargo, el hecho […]
Could An Ancient Remedy Solve The Contemporary Debate Over Europe’s Patent System? 03/10/2006 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Perhaps the biggest lobbying effort in the history of the European Union came in the 2005 fight to change the European patent system to include computer-related inventions, which ended in failure. Now, industry lobbyists are looking for new ways to address the problems of the patent system as they see it. Zuck writes: After the […]
WHO Plans Public Hearing On IP Group By December 02/10/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen The World Health Organization will organise public consultations for non-governmental stakeholders on a global public health and intellectual property working group most likely in November, according to a senior official. Meetings are being actively held within the WHO secretariat, which has set up a inter-departmental system involving a number of […]
Public Forum Debate On WTO’s Future Touches On IP Issues 02/10/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen The implementation process of global intellectual property rules was debated at a recent World Trade Organization public forum, which focused on the overall future of the organisation. According to the WTO, the 25-26 September forum drew some 1,000 participants from civil society who are not normally taking the centre stage […]
Questions Raised Over Proposed WIPO Secretariat Deals With FAO, IDB 01/10/2006 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By William New The World Intellectual Property Organization has negotiated cooperation agreements with the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and is seeking approval of its member countries at this week’s annual General Assembly. But at least one country, Brazil, has questioned on whose authority WIPO negotiated the arrangements, […]
Agreement Reached On WIPO Development Agenda, Patents; No Broadcasting Yet 30/09/2006 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By William New Government negotiators at the World Intellectual Property Organization General Assembly have reached tentative agreement on the future of a proposed agenda for development, and for discussing global patent harmonisation. But key hurdles remain for a proposal to convene a negotiation on a broadcasters’ rights treaty. “I think it is positive,” said an […]
US Seeks Review Of WHO Publication Policy After Report On US Trade Deals 28/09/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen A senior United States health official in Washington is urging the head of the World Health Organization to withdraw a WHO-sponsored publication that is critical of US trade policy, charging possible organisational incompetence and calling for a full review of its publication procedures. “The WHO Secretariat’s decision to publish the […]
Belgian Infringement Case Prompts Publishers’ Project On Automated Access 27/09/2006 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch. Efforts by Belgian publishers’ representative Copiepresse to stop Google from displaying copyrighted content without permission have energized a global publishing industry initiative aimed at resolving the problem. With a trial set in November on claims the search engine’s news service and “cache” are infringing copyright, four major publishing […]
Interview With Gilberto Gil, Brazil’s Culture Minister 27/09/2006 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Gilberto Gil, an internationally acclaimed musician and songwriter since the 1960s, is Brazil’s Minister of Culture. Educated in his native state of Bahia, Gil has lived and travelled extensively abroad and speaks four languages fluently. He reflects the Brazilian government’s position of caution about the rapid rise of intellectual property rights policy and protection globally, […]