Health Assembly Tackles Proposals On Avian Flu Virus Sharing 16/05/2007 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen Early in the 2007 World Health Assembly, the focus has moved to avian flu virus sample sharing for the development of treatments and access by both developed and developing countries. A drafting group started work on combining various proposals, including new drafts from the United States and an Indonesia-led group […]
Developed Countries Seek Clarification Of Idris’ Alleged Age Discrepancy 15/05/2007 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments By William New Citing concerns over accountability and leadership at the World Intellectual Property Organization, the United States, United Kingdom, Japan and Switzerland are pushing for answers to allegations that WIPO Director General Kamil Idris purposely misrepresented his age on official documents for years. “We are by no means losing interest in this issue,” a […]
IP Issues May Spark Debate At World Health Assembly 10/05/2007 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen Intellectual property rights issues could play a significant role in the annual World Health Assembly which begins next week. While not the most prominent topic for the assembly, IP is expected to arise in discussions on malaria, avian influenza and in the “mid-term” progress report of a contested working group […]
US Investigators In Geneva To Review US Balance On IP, Public Health 03/05/2007 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen A team from the independent investigative arm of the United States Congress visited Geneva last week, interviewing insiders from the private sector, non-governmental and international organisations including the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding how the United States is balancing public health, intellectual property and market access, sources said. The visit […]
USTR Toughens IP Stance On China, Russia, Thailand; Praises EU, Brazil 30/04/2007 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By William New The United States Trade Representative’s office on 30 April announced the elevation of its pressure on China, Russia, Thailand, and others to better protect US intellectual property rights. But the announcement stirred reactions by accentuating the increasingly political-sounding criticism by developed countries of Thailand’s decision to utilise flexibilities under international trade rules […]
IP Enforcement Directive Clears EU Parliament But Opposition Remains 26/04/2007 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch A European Commission proposal to criminalise intentional, for-profit intellectual property counterfeiting and piracy won backing from the European Parliament on 25 April. The 374-278 first-reading vote on an amended version of the IP enforcement rights directive, known as IPRED2, followed months of controversy and heavy lobbying which show […]
Officials: European Patent In Five Years, London Protocol By End Of Year 23/04/2007 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen MUNICH – If high-ranking officials speaking at a recent European Patent Office (EPO) meeting are right, the European fight over languages in patent applications may be over by the end of this year following France’s election, and Europe could have a Community patent within the next five years. A Community […]
EPO Report Prompts Debate On New Models For IP System 23/04/2007 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen MUNICH – The launch of a new European Patent Office (EPO) report on the future of the intellectual property system prompted debate at a recent meeting regarding new ways of thinking about patenting and sharing of information in the future. The EPO report, Scenarios for the Future, was issued at […]
Top IP Official Cites Swiss Patent Litigation System, Global Over-Patenting 23/04/2007 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Catherine Saez The addition of new actors including developing countries and a trend of over-patenting in some developed countries is leading to an overload of the global patent system, according to Roland Grossenbacher, director of the Swiss Federal Institute for Intellectual Property. In addition, a patent litigation system is needed in the Europe Union […]
EU Copyright Group Seeks Solutions to Digitisation Roadblocks 20/04/2007 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Problems related to digital preservation, orphan works and out-of-print materials must be resolved if European Commission plans to digitise and make accessible Europe’s cultural heritage are to succeed, copyright experts said in an 18 April report. The Digital Libraries project is part of a Commission drive to boost […]