Nations Eye Amendments To PCT, WIPO’s Top Revenue-Earning Treaty 10/06/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Patent Cooperation Treaty is a cornerstone of the World Intellectual Property Organization and provides its main source of revenue. This week, a working group is gathered to explore proposed amendments to the treaty regulations, including fee reductions for developing countries, small businesses and non-profits.
Industry Offers Lessons In Deployment Of Technology In Developing Countries 10/06/2014 by Maëli Astruc for Intellectual Property Watch and Joséphine De Ruyck for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment LAUSANNE – Using their own experiences, a panel of technology industry representatives last week identified factors that could accelerate technology flows to developing countries.
Biovision: Industry Vision Of Disruptive Innovation Focuses On Production 09/06/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment LYON, France – The opening plenary session of an annual industry forum on life sciences, focusing this year on immunotherapy and ageing, highlighted disruptive innovation as a way to address growing public health challenges. The concept, however, seems open to interpretation.
WIPO Chief Calls for Seamless, Global, Legal Digital Content Regime 06/06/2014 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments ATHENS – In what the representative of a major consumer group called a “big step,” World Intellectual Property Organization Director General Francis Gurry on 6 June called for development of a seamless, global, legal, digital content marketplace that could offer the chance to bridge seemingly intractable copyright issues. Speaking at a conference in Athens hosted by the Greek EU Presidency on copyright and Europe’s digital agenda, Gurry said the search for such a market should take the form of a dialogue that includes all stakeholders.
Shifting Sands In The Global IP Community 05/06/2014 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Just as the world of international intellectual property law and policy is ever-changing, so are the faces within it. The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has a new deputy director in Silicon Valley veteran Michelle Lee, who has been acting as director. Many changes occurred at the US Trade Representative’s office, including the naming of a top tech industry lobbyist as deputy USTR, the return to Geneva of a key US figure at the WTO, and the defection of a top IP negotiator to the copyright industry.
Patentees Suffer Double Loss At US Supreme Court 02/06/2014 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The United States Supreme Court issued two important patent law decisions recently. Both unanimous rulings provided bad news to patentees, particularly patent trolls.
A Call For Health Research, Innovation In The Post-2015 Era 30/05/2014 by Joséphine De Ruyck for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment In the post-2015 Development Agenda, United Nations members must explicitly support research and development, related policies and capacity building with special attention to the low and middle income countries, in order to advance global health targets, experts said at a recent event in Geneva.
Overview Of The Nutrition Debates At The 67th World Health Assembly 28/05/2014 by Maëli Astruc for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Reflecting its growing place on the international policy agenda, nutrition was a major focus of last week’s World Health Assembly.
Harmonising Protection Of Black And White Trademarks In The EU 28/05/2014 by Angela Garcia Medina for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The intellectual property offices of the European Union, in their commitment to harmonise practices, recently published a Common Communication establishing a common practice on the scope of protection given to black and white trademarks in the EU.
NCDs As Global Policy Concern: WHO Approves Plan To Tackle Scourge 26/05/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The prevention and control of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) stands high on the agenda of World Health Organization member countries, many of them said last week. Governments called for a multi-stakeholder approach to tackle the problem, governed by firm rules, and some asked for ways to regulate products that increase risk factors.