Novartis Loses Claim On Extension Of Data Exclusivity 28/06/2017 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment In a decision today, the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg put an end to a complaint by Novartis Europharm Ltd against the European Commission over the terms for data exclusivity (C-629/15 P). Novartis had appealed an earlier decision by the European Court (the first instance) which had rejected the claims by the pharmaceutical company that it should be granted additional data exclusivity for Aclasta, developed from Novartis’ older drug Zometa. No way, the Court of Justice said today, upholding the judgment by the lower court that had found that Novartis’ interpretation of the rules would effectively allow the extension of data exclusivity for a drug forever.
Joint Effort Required To Expand Local Online Content And Broadband Access 28/06/2017 by Elise De Geyter for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The lack of content on the internet in local languages and the lack of local digital skills, especially among women and girls, remain central challenges for the digital economy, speakers said during a panel discussion at the recent World Summit on the Information Society Forum 2017 (WSIS Forum 2017).
Access And Benefit-Sharing (ABS) Initiative To Continue Cooperation With WIPO 28/06/2017 by Elise De Geyter for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Access and Benefit Sharing Capacity Development Initiative (ABS Initiative) and the World Intellectual Property Organization will continue their cooperation and produce “further good events,” it became known during a recent event organised by WIPO. The initiative relates to genetic resources.
New WIPO Publications To Help Policymakers With Protection Of TK, Folklore 27/06/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment For years, the intellectual property system, created to protect products of the mind including inventions, held little interest for the continually evolving ancestral culture of indigenous peoples. But the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities are now discussed in many fora, including the World Intellectual Property Organization, where the focus is how to use the IP system to protect indigenous knowledge and genetic resources from misappropriation and exploitation. And the UN organisation just issued two publications on possible ways to use the IP system to do just that.
Fierce Controversy Over Draft Hate Crime Legislation, New Surveillance Law In Germany 27/06/2017 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Just before the upcoming elections in September, the German government seems eager to push through legislation to rein in internet hate speech, fake news, and also legalise state hacks and police searches of computers and mobile phones against suspects of all kinds. Even at the United Nations and Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) level the recent initiatives in Germany have resulted in some raised eyebrows. The draft hate speech law has also “made it to the alert list of the Council of Europe Platform to promote the protection of journalism.”
EPO Staff Calls General Strikes To Protest Presidential Reform Plans 27/06/2017 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments European Patent Office employees, fed up with a series of reforms proposed by President Benoît Battistelli, have called “Respect Staff” strikes on 30 June and 3 July in all European Patent Office locations – Munich, The Hague, Berlin and Vienna.
Informal And Formal Seed Systems, Usually Enemies, Can It Be Otherwise? 27/06/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Can the farmer seed system most widely used in the world, and the system of seeds produced by plant breeders certified and protected by intellectual property rights, be complementary? The question was addressed during a recent webinar organised by the Global Forum on Agricultural Research, with no easy answers. In particular, speakers mentioned several challenges, including the lack of a common agreement on what are farmers’ rights, and the inability for small farmers to register their seeds so they are protected, in particular against biopiracy.
UN Human Rights Council Adopts Access To Medicines Resolution 23/06/2017 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The United Nations Human Rights Council today adopted a resolution on the right to health in relation to the UN 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including a call for medicines and vaccines access for all. The resolution also requested the UN human rights commissioner to report on the right to health.
EU IP Enforcement Summit: Figures Grave, Reactions Slow 23/06/2017 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment With figures now available for what intellectual property infringement is worth, the European Union copyright office made a call to action at its 2nd International IP Enforcement Summit in Berlin, which ended today. “Now that we know the facts, it is time to move to action and problem solving,” said Antonio Campinos, head of the EU IP Office (EUIPO).
As Questions Mount Over Future Of IP, Geneva A ‘Particular’ Place For Global Dialogue 23/06/2017 by Elise De Geyter for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment There are still many unanswered questions about intellectual property rights, speakers said during an academic conference last week in Geneva. Think tank analyst and author Pedro Roffe, who was the focal point of the conference, said at the event that there is “particularly in Geneva” place for dialogue about “very important and emerging” IP questions.