EU-India Summit Kicks Off Amidst Warnings Of Impact On Medicines Access 10/02/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments The European Union and India today will engage in a high-level meeting in New Delhi with an agenda that includes energy and climate, research and development, and information and communications technologies. But as they enter the meeting, an international health agency and a powerful health advocacy group have issued statements of concern that intellectual property provisions in a bilateral free trade agreement under negotiation will stifle critical generic medicines production in India, putting thousands of poor patients at risk worldwide.
USPTO Launches ‘Patents For Humanity’ Prize Project 08/02/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The United States Patent and Trademark Office today announced a project it said will award prizes to patent owners for using their patented technology for humanitarian purposes worldwide.
In 2012: Are Biotech, Ethics And Biodiversity Friends or Foes? 08/02/2012 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment With food demand and prices rising as the world crosses the threshold of 7 billion people, the need to find new medicines, concerns about the shrinking biodiversity and the effects of climate change may designate biotechnologies as the main response. Opinions differ on the way to address those issues, in particular about intellectual property rights attached to biotechnologies. Legislative questions are being discussed on both sides of the Atlantic around the scope of patentability, and intellectual property rights on plants, seeds, molecules or methods, as well as exemptions that some think should be applied. The year ahead will see some decisions that might impact the biotechnology industry both in the United States and in Europe.
Groups Call On Congress To Step Back From SOPA-Style Legislation 07/02/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Some 70 groups from across the social and political spectrum have sent a letter to the US Senate and House of Representatives calling for them to step back from any anti-piracy legislation until more consideration can be given of the effect on the internet.
WHO Group To Consult On Pandemic Flu Framework In Lead-Up To Assembly 07/02/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A key World Health Organization advisory group has invited stakeholders to consultations this month on the contribution of the private sector and others to global pandemic flu preparedness.
Tell WIPO What You Think! 03/02/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization has launched a survey of stakeholder perceptions and expectations of the UN agency.
Another Indian Generics Company Signs With Patent Pool 02/02/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A leading supplier of generic antiretroviral medicines has signed an agreement to manufacture new HIV medicines for sale in developing countries, the Medicines Patent Pool announced today.
European Commission Orders Italy To Drop Patent Linkage Delaying Generics 31/01/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The European Commission has issued a formal request to Italy to remove linkage between patents and generic medicines authorisation that it says is causing delays in generics reaching the market.
“Politics Of Intellectual Property” Looks At The National Level 30/01/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A much-referenced book now out in paperback remains one of the few books with a broad social sciences perspective on current conflicts over intellectual property policy, with a focus on the national level set within the context of shifting global patterns.
WHO, Gates, Industry And NGO Leaders Elevate Attention To Neglected Diseases 30/01/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A range of some of the world’s top public and private partners in public health today announced an “unprecedented” level of cooperation to fight diseases primarily afflicting poorest populations worldwide for which there is insufficient research and development and inadequate health systems. But how the initiative will tie in with governments’ efforts at the World Health Organization to craft a global framework to address these issues remains to be seen.