US Patent Reform Legislation Progressing; Committee To Reconvene Next Week 26/03/2009 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The committee of the United States Senate drafting legislation to reform the US patent system made little progress at a meeting Thursday, according to sources, but adopted a bipartisan amendment and scheduled to reconvene next week to continue work.
Patent Meeting Debates Linkages With Development; Exceptions & Limitations 24/03/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Questions on how to best to link patent law and development issues led the opening discussion at this week’s World Intellectual Property Organization meeting on patent law. A WIPO study on exceptions and limitations was discussed Monday and Tuesday, with talk turning towards whether a third party examination of the issue was needed.
Parties Accept WTO Dispute Settlement Report On China IP Protection 24/03/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A final decision on a World Trade Organization case over intellectual property rights protection between China and the United States was accepted by the states Friday, with both claiming its arbiter had affirmed their positions.
European Patent Office: Patent Applications Slow As Rejections Rise 21/03/2009 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment In a trend appearing in other patent offices around the world, patent applications at the European Patent Office continued to rise in 2008, but at a slower rate toward the end of year. At the EPO, this was coupled with the lowest percentage of granted patents in its history.
WIPO Patent Committee To Consider Four New Reports, Global Challenges 20/03/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The committee on patents at the World Intellectual Property Organization is set to be re-energised next week as it tackles four new reports, and addresses an ongoing question of the relationship of patent rights to wider policy issues on climate change and other environmental issues, public health, and food security.
UKIPO: Copyright Owners And Internet Providers, Please Regulate Yourselves! 18/03/2009 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office on Monday published a proposal for a “rights agency” that would tackle problems related to digital copyright. The envisioned agency that would be managed and funded by rights owners and take up a two-fold task by facilitating the creation of a digital market and preventing and reducing online piracy.
Kenya Conference: Financial Incentives Needed For Tailored Neglected Disease Research 16/03/2009 by Nicholas Wadhams for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment NAIROBI – Governments in Kenya and other developing nations must be willing to provide financial incentives if they expect companies to carry out research and development of drugs specifically tailored to those countries’ needs, a conference in Nairobi was told last week.
Record Cybersquatting Cases As WIPO Seeks New Trademark Protections 16/03/2009 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments A record number of cybersquatting complaints were filed at the World Intellectual Property Organization in 2008, and the organisation is preparing for a potentially much larger set of concerns as the launch of an unknown number of new domains approaches.
New Thinking On Biotech Patents From Industry Groups 13/03/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment LYON, FRANCE – A new level of willingness to cooperate on major public health initiatives may indicate increased convergence in goals between large pharmaceutical companies and patient advocacy groups, particularly when addressing neglected diseases, a panel at an international life sciences conference said Monday.
World Health Organization Issues Statement On Generic Drug Seizures 13/03/2009 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Health Organization on Friday issued a statement on a high-profile debate over Dutch customs authorities’ delays of shipments of legitimate generic pharmaceuticals passing through the European country on their way to patients in developing countries. The goods were apparently believed to be counterfeit medicines.