Health Group Challenges Gilead Patents In The US On Grounds Of Lack Of Novelty 25/10/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 11 Comments A health advocacy group today announced that it has challenged a set of United States patents for a hepatitis C medicine. The group says drug maker Gilead Sciences has obtained unmerited patents for sofosbuvir, blocking millions of US patients from affordable treatment.
TRIPS Council: Fears That Non-Violation Complaints Could Undercut Flexibilities In IP Trade Rules 20/10/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments World Trade Organization committee members this week were asked to recommend to the upcoming ministerial conference whether to lift or indefinitely prolong a moratorium shielding intellectual property from complaints between members not involving a breach of a WTO agreement. Short of a consensus, the intellectual property committee will have to reconvene next month to try to find agreement. Separately, a two-year extension was granted to countries not yet having ratified the public health amendment to WTO IP rules.
WIPO Report To Annual Assemblies Contains Some Interesting Facts 20/10/2017 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Among all the high-profile issues on the stage and the countless side meetings and cultural celebrations happening at the annual World Intellectual Property Organization annual Assemblies, there were some interesting facts and figures presented about the UN agency itself.
CCIA Report: Digital Music Industry Sees Strong Revenue Growth, Creativity, Choice 19/10/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A technology association-backed report released this week shows strong growth in revenues for the music industry over the past 5 to 10 years, driven by digital music. The data counters the current European copyright reform concern over a “value gap” for the music industry, the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) said.
WIPO-Pharma Patent Database Started With Industry In Early 2017 17/10/2017 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A newly announced partnership between the UN World Intellectual Property Organization and the international pharmaceutical industry to set up a database of medicines patents announced this month to the surprise of governments and civil society was an idea originally brought to WIPO by a group of companies in February of this year. Now they appear to be encouraging others to join in.
56 Groups Call For Deletion Of Internet Filtering Provision In EU Copyright Proposal 16/10/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Today a range of civil society organisations sent an open letter to European Union policymakers calling for the removal of a provision they say would violate citizens’ rights by forcing monitoring and filtering of copyrighted materials.
WIPO Faces Resistance To Ensuring Equal Treatment For LGBT Staff 11/10/2017 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization is an international organisation based in Geneva, focused mainly on technical and legal issues of patents, trademarks and the like. But it is also a specialised agency of the United Nations, with over 1,000 employees. At its annual General Assemblies this week, an issue has arisen at WIPO that serves as a reminder of the complexities of UN membership.
E-Commerce Regulation Needs Harmonisation, Labour Rules Should Be Part Of Trade Laws, Panellists Say 04/10/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment As electronic commerce is on the rise, attempts to regulate it are fragmented and in need of harmonisation, according to a panel at the recent World Trade Organization Public Forum. Intellectual property could be a harmonisation tool and is a market maker, one of the panellists said. Separately, a session looked at the relationship that they said should exist between trade and labour rights, and said the way goods are produced should be taken into account in WTO rules.
CopyCamp Conference Discusses Fallacies Of EU Copyright Reform Amid Ideas For Copy Change 02/10/2017 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Bugs in the European Union copyright reform were discussed during the 6th edition of the annual Warsaw CopyCamp held last week. Liability of platforms and special intellectual property rights on snippets were the poster child for bad legislation. But the activists, academics and internet companies also expressed concerns over a general backlash on internet openness and internet freedom.
Moglen On Privacy And ‘The Machine’: This Is Not Over Yet 29/09/2017 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment NEW HAVEN — In an arresting presentation framed in a first-hand account of the creation of the early internet and focused on the hyper-sophisticated sensors we carry everywhere in the form of our smartphone, marking our every behaviour and element of our life for commercial and state use, Free Software legend and privacy advocate Prof. Eben Moglen gave a speech this week at Yale Law School on privacy, the “machine,” and the jarring threat humanity is facing. There is at least one sign of hope, he said: the FreedomBox.