No Need Of IPRs For Protecting Traditional Knowledge 03/09/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch 8 Comments We should be careful in creating registrable rights on the traditional knowledge (TK) including traditional medicine practices and classifying TK under intellectual property rights, which are private exclusive rights operating like a monopoly in practice. Patents create private spaces in the knowledge arena (though for a short duration), and therefore no private appropriation should be allowed in the realm of TK, writes R.S. Praveen Raj.
Universal Health Coverage, Millennium Development Goals And Post-2015: The Improvable Way Forward 02/09/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The negotiating process to achieve post-2015 development goals has clarified the agenda that governments ought to follow until 2030. Unfortunately, due to vague terms and the lack of unequivocal definitions, a number of relevant issues still lie in uncertainty, writes Pietro Dionisio
OECD Book Highlights Economic Impact – Good And Bad – Of IPRs 02/09/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A new book from the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) paints a revealing picture of the impact on economies of intellectual property rights.
KhoiSan Dig For Indigenous Knowledge Rights In Climate Change Mitigation Practices 01/09/2015 by Munyaradzi Makoni for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA – A project to assess the impact of climate change on KhoiSan communities and the production of local level decision-making in rural communities is expected to contribute towards the guidelines and protections for indigenous knowledge holders under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), according to the project leader.
India: Caution On Classifying Traditional Knowledge Under IPRs 28/08/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment From The Hindu: Even as the government has initiated the process of vetting a draft Bill on the protection and management of traditional knowledge (TK), experts caution against creating monopoly rights on TK and classifying it under intellectual property rights.
South African Government Conference Reveals Views On Draft Copyright Bill 28/08/2015 by Linda Daniels for Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA — Stakeholders from various positions of influence in the realm of intellectual property – including government – put a fine tooth comb through the South African Copyright Amendment Bill at a consultative conference called by the Department of Trade and Industry yesterday.
Review Of WIPO Development Agenda Implementation Picks Up Pace 26/08/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments An independent review of the World Intellectual Property Organization’s implementation of its 2007 Development Agenda Recommendations is progressing. A team of experts conducting the review, appointed by WIPO in May, just submitted their inception report to WIPO.
WIPO Launches Development Agenda Project In Uganda 25/08/2015 by Hillary Muheebwa for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment KAMPALA, UGANDA – The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has launched a Development Agenda program in Uganda, aimed at building capacity in the use of appropriate technology, specific technical and scientific information to address development challenges in the country.
NGOs Call Out Switzerland For Pressuring Colombia On Compulsory Licences; Switzerland Replies 24/08/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Civil society groups are calling on the Swiss government to refrain from putting pressure on developing countries wishing to manufacture generic medicines without the consent of the patent holder. The groups allege that the Swiss government tried to unduly influence Colombia to not take such a step, though it is permitted by international trade rules. The Swiss government, for its part, says it participated in a public consultation in Colombia and merely underlined that negotiations between governments and original manufacturers are a better way to go than a compulsory licence.
Australian Review Of IPR, Competition Balance Draws Mixed Academic Response 21/08/2015 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A government-ordered review of Australia’s intellectual property arrangements could either resolve many important and long-standing issues or prove to be yet another political exercise in futility, academics say.