Compulsory Licences Positive For The South, With Conditions, Study Finds 31/05/2012 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Compulsory licences can provide an efficient way to decrease prices of drugs in developing countries but the conditions of issuance of a licence influence the benefits countries can derive from them, particularly if the countries have a technology gap, according to an economic model presented this week at the World Intellectual Property Organization.
World Health Assembly: WHO Carves Out Leadership Role In “Vaccine Decade” 28/05/2012 by Rachel Marusak Hermann, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment With a generous pledge and a grand vision, Bill Gates launched the “Decade of Vaccines” two years ago. By endorsing a “Global Vaccine Action Plan” during the World Health Assembly, the world’s health authority stands as the lead agency in advancing the initiative.
US, China To Hold Landmark Intellectual Property Adjudication Meeting 24/05/2012 by Maricel Estavillo for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The United States and China will hold early next week what is becoming the largest bilateral programme between their courts in the area of intellectual property adjudication. Set to gather more than a thousand participants, the discussions will largely revolve around patent litigation, according to a top US judge.
WIPO Committee On Law Of Patents Walks A Fine Line 22/05/2012 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The law of patents is being discussed this week at the World Intellectual Property Organization with a focus on the potentially difficult issues of limitations and exceptions, high quality patents, and patents related to public health.
US Licensing Experts: Innovation Is Still Happening, Let’s Help It Along 18/05/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment BOSTON – Early stage innovation is still strong in the United States, but parties need to work better together and address bottlenecks in the middle stages, a panel of university and private sector experts said this week. Meanwhile, the president of global biotechnology company Genzyme said the industry is not in crisis and the company is hopeful about its recent merger with Sanofi.
15 Years Later, Prospects For WTO Information Technology Agreement Examined 15/05/2012 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Trade Organization this week celebrated 15 years of a tariff-cutting agreement on information technology products, and issued a publication charting the history of the agreement. Industry representatives invited to a symposium joined voices asking that the agreement be expanded, while some called for strategies to incorporate development into technology trade promotion. And a link was made between the agreement and a rise in patents on technology.
ICANN IP Advisory Group: Whois, Dot-Brands, Contracts Key Sticking Points In New Domains 11/05/2012 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Washington, DC – Wary eyes are on the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which on 12 January opened a first window for applications for new generic top level domains (gTLDs), expected to be made public later this month.
INTA: Corporate Call To Action On New Domains, Social Media, Counterfeiting 08/05/2012 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Washington, DC – Corporations need to become more involved in the battles being fought over the internet – from expanding top-level domain names, protecting brands on social media, to counterfeiting and internet security – or they are going to be left on the sidelines as policy is created both in the United States and elsewhere, speakers at the International Trademark Association (INTA) said yesterday.
WIPO Standards Committee: IP Geeks Meet Policy Wonks 07/05/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The United Nations World Intellectual Property Organization is by its nature a crossroads of IP technical expertise and global public policy wrangling. But the difference between the two became more pronounced at last week’s meeting of the WIPO Standards Committee, according to participants.
Viacom v. YouTube: Chipping Away At The DMCA 03/05/2012 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment It was a major legal battle between copyright owners and online businesses. Then, on 5 April, online businesses won. Mostly. The US appellate court ruling in Viacom International, Inc. v. YouTube, Inc. basically upheld the legal protection that a key US statute grants to online firms. However, the ruling also opened several holes in that protection.