EPO Suspends Decision On New President 03/02/2010 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment An extraordinary session of the European Patent Organisation Administrative Council intended to help elect a replacement for outgoing president Alison Brimelow today was again unable to come to a conclusion between the three remaining candidates for the post. There will be another extraordinary Council meeting on 1 March, just four months before the post was […]
A2K4 Conference To Address IP And Human Rights 02/02/2010 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The fourth Access to Knowledge conference (A2K4) hosted by the Yale Law School Information Society Project in New Haven, Connecticut (US) will take place on 11-13 February. The event will be streamed live on video here, and will focus on the human rights aspects of intellectual property, and remote participants can submit comments via Twitter. […]
EPO To Elect President In Extraordinary Session 01/02/2010 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The European Patent Organisation will hold an extraordinary session this week in Munich to try once again to find a replacement for current President Alison Brimelow. At meetings in October and December 2009, none of the then four applicants (IPW, European Policy, 17 September 2009) succeeded in gaining the necessary three-quarters votes to take over […]
African Plant Extract Freed From German Patent 01/02/2010 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The European Patent Office’s recent revocation of a German company’s patent on a plant extract is being seen by some as a step toward fighting biopiracy related to intellectual property rights. In its 26 January decision, the EPO considered the compliance of the company with the Conventional on Biodiversity rules on access and benefit sharing. […]
Microsoft Flogs Cloud Computing In Europe 26/01/2010 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment US software maker Microsoft’s General Counsel Brad Smith in Brussels today proposed a multistakeholder dialogue on cloud computing in Europe aimed at opening up its potential, including through building confidence, government action and harmonisation of national policies. “In Europe and elsewhere,” said a preparatory text circulated by Microsoft, “computing is experiencing a powerful transformation. Driven […]
Film Industry Head Glickman Leaves To Head Refugee Organisation 22/01/2010 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Motion Picture Association of America head Dan Glickman is moving from protecting intellectual property rights to protecting the rights of displaced people worldwide. Glickman announced today he will leave his position as chairman and CEO of the MPAA on 1 April. Glickman will make the leap to become president of Refugees International, an advocacy organisation […]
GSK “Open Innovation Agenda,” Possible Malaria Vaccine 20/01/2010 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment CEO Andrew Witty of UK pharmaceutical manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline today announced the launch of an agenda on “open innovation,” through which it promises increased flexibility over its intellectual property as well as partnerships in which its facilities, infrastructure, and actual chemical compounds are accessible to researchers. Last year, GSK caused a stir when it announced that […]
Next Week’s ACTA Round Tackles Online Enforcement, Transparency 19/01/2010 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The agenda of the seventh round of Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) negotiations has been published, ending months of speculation and concern about the details of the secretive, high-impact talks. No, just kidding. Actually, the agenda for the 26-29 January meeting in Guadalajara, Mexico “released” today by the Office of the United States Trade Representative gives […]
Full Report Of WHO R&D Expert Working Group Now Posted 15/01/2010 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The full text of a report by an expert working group under the auspices of the World Health Organization tasked with finding innovative ways to finance research and development for neglected diseases is now available from the WHO website here. An detailed executive summary of the report was published in late December (IPW, IP Burble, […]
IP Industry Greets New Year With Staff Changes 05/01/2010 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Two separate trade associations this week announced leadership changes to kick off the New Year. The International Trademark Association (INTA) named its 2010 president on 1 January. Heather Steinmeyer, lead counsel for intellectual property at WellPoint Inc, a US Fortune 50 insurance and healthcare company, already served numerous functions at INTA. She was treasurer and […]