Enter The African Medicines Agency, Continent’s First Super-Regulator? 03/07/2017 by Tatum Anderson for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment An African medicines agency, the continent’s first super-regulator, could be approved as soon as next year.
EPO New Policy Brief On Climate Technologies 03/07/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The European Patent Office today released a new policy brief on climate change mitigation technologies, with a focus on renewable energy technologies, which are on the rise.
Medicines Patent Pool Nets WHO’s Kieny As New Chair 03/07/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Marie-Paule Kieny, fresh out of the World Health Organization, where she held the position of assistant director general for Health Systems and Innovation, will be the new chair of the Medicines Patent Pool, as of 1 September.
Innovator Industries Claim Win In Canadian High Court Patent Ruling 01/07/2017 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The Canadian Supreme Court today upheld a pharmaceutical industry appeal against a tool used in certain cases to overturn patents on products that could be seen as not meriting a patent monopoly. The ruling could effectively block a generic version of a patented drug from being on the market.
World’s Most Effective HIV Drug Rolled Out In Africa In Generic Version 29/06/2017 by Fredrick Nzwili for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment NAIROBI, Kenya – A generic version of dolutegravir (DTG), the drug of choice for the last two years for people living with HIV in high-income countries, is now available in Africa. On 28 June, the government of Kenya and drug pricing and innovation mechanism Unitaid unveiled the new first-line drug in an effort to accelerate access to better antiretroviral (ARV) drugs for her people living with HIV. It becomes the first country in Africa to introduce the generic version of drug.
WTO Info Tech Agreement Symposium: Is Expansion To Digital Trade In The Cards? 29/06/2017 by Elise De Geyter for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the World Trade Organization Agreement this week, several speakers and delegates called for a further expansion of the landmark deal, possibly in ways that include digital trade and better incorporate developing countries. Many information and communication technology (ICT) products are not part of the list of products under the ITA, speakers said, and negotiations about an expansion of the list of products may take a long time.
EPO Will Not Allow Patents On Plants, Animals From Biological Processes 29/06/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The European Patent Office today issued a clarification about the patenting of plant and animal products, putting it in line with a European Commission clarification that such products obtained through a biological breeding process should not be patentable.
US High Court OKs Bigoted Trademarks 29/06/2017 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment When the US Supreme Court issued its decision in Matal v. Tam, trademark applicants celebrated, hailing it as a victory for free speech and trademark rights. But some trademark owners will become very unhappy about the ramifications of the Court’s 19 June ruling.
Remote Sensing And (Geo-) ICTs, Prime Tools To Achieve SDGs, WSIS Forum Hears 29/06/2017 by Elise De Geyter for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Remote sensing and geo-ICT are prime technological tools to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, according to VITO, the Flemish Institute for Technological Research. But technology should not be considered as “deus ex machina,” a speaker added during the recent World Summit on the Information Society Forum (the WSIS Forum 2017).
Launch Of Open Access Book On Geographical Indications In Asia-Pacific 29/06/2017 by Elise De Geyter for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A new book launched this week in Geneva offers a unique compilation of the challenges and promises of the protection of geographical indications (GIs) with a particular focus on countries in the Asia-Pacific region.