To Print Or Not To Print: Innovation And IP Issues In 3D Printing 19/07/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment 3D printing used to be an expensive product design tool, but it is quickly becoming an affordable and accessible technology. First emerging in the 1980s, the availability of low-cost, high-performance 3D printers has put the technology firmly within reach of consumers. While this provides a number of opportunities for designers and manufacturers, there is also concern around the impact on IP rights, writes Jia Li.
Without Understanding What Traditional Knowledge Is, We Cannot Utilize It Appropriately 18/07/2017 by Hillary Muheebwa for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment KAMPALA, Uganda — For a long time, traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions were timidly recognised as intellectual efforts worthy of legal protection. Of recent, indigenous peoples, local communities, and some governments have demanded the recognition of traditional forms of creativity and innovation as protectable intellectual property.
USTR Puts IP Focus In Digital Trade In NAFTA Renegotiation Objectives 18/07/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment In its newly issued objectives for renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has put a strong focus on protecting and exploiting intellectual property rights in the digital environment.
WHO Influenza Watchdog Network Meeting In Geneva, Setting 5-Year Plan 18/07/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The global network of national influenza centres is at the core of the World Health Organization system of influenza surveillance and response. All year round those national influenza centres collect, interpret and share flu samples or genetic information with the WHO so that seasonal vaccines can be manufactured, and potential pandemics adequately identified and contained.
WHO Study: Most Countries Have Ability To Reach Universal Health Coverage By 2030 17/07/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A new study by the World Health Organization finds that most countries will have the technological and the financial ability to reach universal health coverage in the next 13 years, according to authors.
Temporary Compulsory License For Antiretroviral Drug Upheld By German Court 17/07/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment MUNICH — The German Federal Supreme Court in a decision drawing significant attention on 11 July upheld a temporary compulsory licence granted for the HIV drug Isentress (X ZB 2/17). The antiretroviral drug, based on raltegravir, has been the object of a prolonged court fight between Japanese drug company Shionogi and its US competitor Merck.
Event Looks At UN High-Level Panel On Medicines Access, SDGs And Policy Coherence 15/07/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment An event on 17 July at the United Nations in New York will address the “UN Secretary General’s High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines: Advancing Health-Related SDGs through Policy Coherence.”
Arduous Discussions At WIPO For New Country/Regional Offices, No Winners Yet 15/07/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Attracting a World Intellectual Property Organization external office appears to be a critical priority for a number of countries that have put forward their candidacy for four possible new openings. During the WIPO Program and Budget Committee this week, some of those candidates delivered presentations highlighting their most striking assets, such as bridging continents, region, and economic blocs. But discussions could not lead to the chosen winners this week.
3P Project Enables Radical Change In R&D For TB Treatment 15/07/2017 by Elise De Geyter for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A new project that stimulates the development of affordable and effective drug regimens to treat tuberculosis (TB) is catching notice in policy circles.
Intermediaries Could Be Made Liable In EU Copyright Legislation 14/07/2017 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments Positions on the new draft European Union Copyright Directive lie so far apart in the European Parliament that compromise before an expected October vote seems nearly impossible. Critics of a new special copyright for press publishers – and of a radical change towards holding internet intermediaries liable for what their users upload – were highly alarmed by this week’s developments in Brussels.