WHO Members Slow To Bridge Disagreements At Pandemic Flu Meeting 11/12/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Kaitlin Mara Four days into one-week “critical” negotiations on pandemic influenza preparedness, World Health Organization members had yet to tackle areas of core disagreement and participants were expressing doubt as to whether consensus can be achieved by week’s end. Details on the definition of “Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Biological Materials,” on the content of […]
Technology, IP Vital To Addressing Climate Change, UN Meeting Hears 11/12/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Kaitlin Mara Finding a balance between needed incentives for innovation and equally needed affordable access to new technology is necessary to combat ecological challenges, yet striking it may prove difficult as countries at the United Nations’ talks on climate change struggle to determine what action is possible in the midst of a global economic […]
Generic Drugmakers, Activists Praise Lamy; Gurry Defends ‘Respect’ For IP 11/12/2008 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By William New Generic pharmaceutical producers have grown in importance in recent years despite or because of intellectual property rights, and at their annual meeting this week in Geneva they attracted the leaders of the primary intergovernmental institutions engaged in IP rights policy. Generic industry representatives and access to medicines activists praised an opening speech […]
Budget Debates Arise Again At WIPO; Development Fears Run High 10/12/2008 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By William New The World Intellectual Property Organization could be considered a financial stalwart of the United Nations system, self-funding and usually running large positive balances. But recent years have seen the rise in influence of developing countries at WIPO, and this week those countries are calling on the organisation’s new leadership to ensure their […]
Lamy Challenges Discontented WTO Members To Use TRIPS Public Health Review 09/12/2008 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By William New Confronted with longstanding assertions that World Trade Organization rules intended to bring greater access to medicines to poor countries are not working, WTO Director General Pascal Lamy said Tuesday discontented members should use the annual review of those rules if they have a complaint. “It is precisely to address these kinds of […]
WHO Renews Delicate Effort On Pandemic Influenza Virus-Sharing 08/12/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Kaitlin Mara An avian influenza outbreak would be a public health disaster, but for the World Health Organization to adequately prepare for that risk, member states must come to a resolution on intellectual property issues related to virus and vaccine sharing. They hope to do so this week, as the Intergovernmental Meeting on Pandemic […]
With US Patent Overhaul Dead, Agencies Ponder Changes As Industry Debates Role Of ‘Trolls’ 08/12/2008 by Drew Clark for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Drew Clark for Intellectual Property Watch WASHINGTON, DC – With major legislative changes to the United States patent system unfinished as the 110th Congress prepares to dissolve, Executive- and Judicial-branch agencies on Friday jostled for authority over future patent policy. Speaking at a Federal Trade Commission (FTC) hearing on “The Evolving Intellectual Property Marketplace,” […]
WTO: Progress On IP At Last; Consensus Still Uncertain 05/12/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Kaitlin Mara Delegates negotiating on intellectual property issues at the World Trade Organization were able to set aside procedural debates Friday and focus on substantive technical issues in the body tasked with creating a multilateral register for geographical indications on wines and spirits. The European Union, in a marathon intervention, provided answers to over […]
US Appeals Court Hears High-Profile Case On USPTO Power Over Patent Rules 05/12/2008 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Before a packed audience, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) Friday tackled the highly controversial dispute between the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and much of the patent bar over rules capping the number of continuation requests and claims patent seekers can submit without incurring additional expenses and paperwork.
Debate Over EU Finding That Pharmaceutical Firms Abusing Patent System 05/12/2008 by David Cronin for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments By David Cronin for Intellectual Property Watch BRUSSELS – Leading pharmaceutical companies are using the patent system to delay the entry of generic medicines onto the market, the European Commission has alleged, sparking a debate at a conference held here this week. In spring 2009, the EU’s executive branch will present the findings of an […]