Native Tribes Can’t Shield Patents From USPTO Review 21/07/2018 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The strategy was breathtaking in its boldness. Just days before the USPTO was to hear a challenge to Allergan Inc.’s patents on a dry-eye drug, Restasis, the company transferred those patents to a Native American tribe; the tribe then sought to dismiss the USPTO proceedings by asserting sovereign immunity. Following this action, a number of other patentees made similar transfers to Native tribes, in order to protect their patents. More patentees were poised to do so, should this ploy prove effective. It, however, did not. On 20 July, the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals ruled the tribe’s sovereign immunity did not protect its patents from USPTO review. The ruling thus kept intact a key component of America’s patent system.
US Continues To Block Progress On WTO Appeals Body, While Rapidly Adding Cases To The System 20/07/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The United States is piling up dispute settlement cases against its trading partners at the World Trade Organization while at the same time ironically blocking any progress on the selection of panellists for appeals in the WTO dispute settlement process.
Central Banks Consider Blockchain-Based Digital Currency At ITU Meeting 20/07/2018 by David Branigan, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment NEW YORK – The UN International Telecommunication Union’s Digit Fiat Currency (ITU-DFC) Focus Group is meeting in New York this week to consider the potential promise and pitfalls of central bank-issued digital currency.
WIPO Looks At Importance Of Standards Documents, Collaboration Of IP Offices And Standards Organisations 18/07/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Common standards are essential for technologies, particularly for interoperability. However, a number of technologies essential to standards are patented, which has created issues relating to licensing or high royalties. Last week, the World Intellectual Property Organization organised an information session on patents and standards, including aspects of patent quality, issues relating to international trade, and the role of the organisation in facilitating the relationship between patents and standards.
Outcome Of ITU Global Regulators Symposium: Interview With Brahima Sanou 16/07/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Heads of national information and telecommunications regulatory authorities gathered in Geneva for an annual symposium, and agreed on global best practice guidelines for the new digital ecosystem. After the meeting, Brahima Sanou, head of the UN International Telecommunication Union Development Bureau answered Intellectual Property Watch on the outcome of the meeting, and topics such as privacy and the digital divide.
Balance Achieved In Future Work For WIPO Patent Law Committee, Delegates Say 13/07/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The last World Intellectual Property Organization committee before the summer break ended on a happy note this week. After some time spent tweaking the future work of the WIPO committee on the law of patents, delegates appeared satisfied with the balance achieved. The week saw plans for conferences, numerous new proposals and calls for reports, on subjects such as research exceptions, patents and medicines access, compulsory licensing, technology transfer, and patent quality.
Regulating The Internet And Emerging Technology: The Path Ahead 12/07/2018 by Adithi Koushik for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Regulators meeting at the UN International Telecommunication Union this week were attempting to advance guiding principles for the regulation of 5G spectrum, artificial intelligence, internet connectivity and cyber security.
WIPO Genetic Resources Expert Group Ponders Disclosure Requirement, Databases 27/06/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment On the eve of this week’s meeting of a World Intellectual Property Organization committee on genetic resources, an expert group met behind closed doors to discuss some of the more difficult issues. The report of the expert group to the full committee on 25 June confirmed differences but also common views and avenues to be explored, and has been carried into the week.
Internet Policy – Whois And GDPR: Sky Not Falling Just Yet? 23/06/2018 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The struggle over how to comply with Europe’s new General Data Protection Regulation dominates the agenda of the upcoming meeting of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) in Panama. With the basic question how much data ICANN can ask its contractual partners to collect and store about its domain name customers, ICANN this week opened another hot topic to be discussed when publishing a paper on unified access to registration data. Meanwhile, trademark owners weighed in.
Expert Group Meets Ahead Of This Week’s WIPO Genetic Resources Negotiations 22/06/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment An expert group is meeting Sunday at the World Intellectual Property Organization, on the eve of a weeklong session of the WIPO committee on genetic resources and traditional knowledge. The expert group will address the most divisive issues in the discussions of the committee in charge of finding solutions to protect genetic resources, traditional knowledge and folklore against misuse and misappropriation.