WIPO Looks At Mandate On IP And Climate Change, Access For Reading Impaired 14/07/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch and William New Leave a Comment A conference aimed at sketching out ideas for the World Intellectual Property Organization’s involvement in issues of global public policy kicked off Monday with explorations on the link intellectual property and environmental technology and a separate event devoted to access to reading material for the visually impaired.
G8: Amid Talks Of Climate, Economy, Food And Health Lies IP & Innovation 09/07/2009 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Leaders of the seven biggest economies and Russia (G8) at their annual summit this week in L’Aquila, Italy have made very cautious commitments with regard to the top issue, climate change, but views on intellectual property rights enforcement began to become clear on the second day. The summit so far has addressed issues related to trade, development, terrorism, and also innovation and IP. Statements in the leaders’ Wednesday declaration with regard to intellectual property called for a firm push for the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), which is unchanged from the past. But the G8 IP Expert Group (IPEG) on Thursday published the results of its discussion in which they went into more detail on some issues.
EU Finds Anti-Competitive Abuse Of Pharmaceutical Patents, Launches Antitrust Action 08/07/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments Pharmaceutical companies are manipulating the intellectual property rights system and are “actively trying to delay the entry of generic medicines onto their markets,” a top EU official said of an EU inquiry into the pharmaceutical sector released Wednesday. As a result, there has been a decline in the number of innovative medicines getting to the market, it says.
Kenyan AIDS Patients Seek To Overturn Anti-Counterfeiting Law As Unconstitutional 07/07/2009 by Nicholas Wadhams for Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments NAIROBI – Three HIV/AIDS patients in Kenya announced Tuesday they will petition the country’s Constitutional Court to declare a new anti-counterfeiting act illegal because it could deny them access to generic medicines. The move, which has the support of public health groups across the country, seeks to have the 2008 Anti-Counterfeiting Act made unconstitutional on the grounds that it could rob them of their right to life.
Late-Night Breakdown On Traditional Knowledge At WIPO; Future Unclear 06/07/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The World Intellectual Property Organization committee on the protection of indigenous knowledge, expressions and genetic resources failed to reach consensus on future work Friday, putting the future of the committee in the hands of the WIPO General Assemblies in September.
WIPO Members Seek Deal To Negotiate On Traditional Knowledge Protection 03/07/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment World Intellectual Property Organization members this week are intensively working toward agreement on a proposal to start negotiations for a tool to better protect traditional knowledge, genetic resources, and traditional cultural expressions, after nearly a decade of talking about the subject.
Report: Drug Companies Violating WHO Ethics On Advertising In East Africa 02/07/2009 by Nicholas Wadhams for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment NAIROBI – Drug companies routinely violate World Health Organization ethical guidelines when advertising and promoting their products in East Africa, according to a new study released Thursday.
Health R&D Experts Conclude Meeting With Few Details But Signal More Openness 01/07/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment An expert body under the World Health Organization tasked with finding innovative solutions for financing research for needed medicines concluded its second official meeting Wednesday, working on a process to analyse possible mechanisms. The WHO afterward appeared to address concerns – which included a civil society letter – by insisting there would be more transparency in the negotiating process, but did not provide assurance that potential conflicts of interest would be properly addressed.
European Patent System, Court Top Priority Under Swedish EU Presidency 01/07/2009 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment COPENHAGEN – A top priority for Sweden as it takes over the EU presidency on 1 July is to boost negotiations on a Community patent system and a European Patent Court, the government says. Its work programme also emphasises the need for “effective protection of intellectual property rights” and lists a conference on enforcement. Officials, however, deny that enforcement is among the presidency’s main IP focus. And the Pirate Party is concerned.
WIPO Work Likely To Continue On Traditional Knowledge, But How? 30/06/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments An intergovernmental committee considering ways to protect kinds of knowledge that predate – and may not fit into – the current intellectual property system picked up this week after a chaotic round of negotiations failed to make any progress at the last meeting. Meanwhile, some indigenous groups, in whose traditions rest much of this knowledge, continue a push for stronger representation at the committee.