Intellectual Property Watch

Original news and analysis on international IP policy

Comparative Analysis Shows US Patent Office Scores Poorly On Patent Quality

by , Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment

Quality across patent systems has been understudied but a new methodology put forward by the former chief economist of the European Patent Office suggests that the EPO provides higher quality services than its United States and Japan counterparts. Efforts at collaborative work between patent offices are being made but mutual recognition might not be possible or desirable without some harmonisation in the way the different systems operate.

Google May Face New Scrutiny For Privacy Violations In Switzerland

by , Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment

Legally speaking, there is “little doubt” that Google’s collection of WiFi data by its roving Street View vehicles violates the Swiss Data Protection Act, and the company is likely to come under new scrutiny in Switzerland possibly even resulting in “severe financial consequences,” a respected Swiss law firm has said.

Special Report: The Potential Consequences of Google’s Electronic Book Initiative

by for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment

Google’s ambitious plans to make published books available for download on most internet-connected electronic devices by leveraging its position as the world’s largest search engine could have far-reaching repercussions on electronic publishing and book file-sharing in the near future.

Conference Debates Strategic Patenting, Innovation & Public Health

by for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment

MUNICH – Whether strengthening patent protection and extending data exclusivity is the way to more innovation in the pharmaceutical and diagnostic sector was the subject of a recent conference here.

Biotechnology Consultant To Lead WIPO Global Challenges Division

by for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment

A leader for the World Intellectual Property Organization Global Challenges Division – tasked with connecting intellectual property to critical issues such as public health, food security, and climate change – has been named more than a year and a half after the division’s creation.

US, WIPO Officials Assess Patent Reform, PCT, Copyright Priorities

by , Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment

NEW YORK – Republican and Democratic lawmakers in the United States are “hotlining” colleagues to ascertain if there is any objection to moving patent reform quickly through the US Senate, a representative of a major stakeholder in the debate said here Friday. Meanwhile, the US Copyright Office is working to get its priorities through a restructured Congress, and a World Intellectual Property Organization official warned of a possible divide in WIPO’s norm-setting activities.

Biotech Convention Pays Homage To IP, Pledges To Increase Access To Medicine

by , Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment

Intellectual property rights and access to medicines were on the agenda at the first day of a biotechnology industry group’s annual convention yesterday. The group held a panel on IP rights and also released a policy statement on access to medicine in developing countries. The director of the US Patent and Trademark Office commented positively on the initiative.

Health Initiative Proposes Rewarding Innovation On Impact Results; Some See Hurdles

by , Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment

An alternative initiative to promote access to medicine with a method mimicking market mechanisms means to create additional incentives for health innovation, authors of the proposal said yesterday. But other health actors have reservations.

A public event was organised yesterday to discuss how the Health Impact Fund (HIF) could fit within existing structures and what challenges it could face.

Sign up for free news alerts