WHA68: Global Vaccine Plan Lagging; New Proposal To Lower Prices 19/05/2015 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments An assessment of the World Health Organization Global Vaccine Action Plan aimed at delivering vaccination to all and boosting research into new vaccines found implementation to be “far off-track” in some areas. Today at the World Health Assembly, Libya put forward a new proposal at the Assembly to reduce vaccine prices and increase availability in developing countries.
France, Italy, Heavyweights Of Lisbon Appellations Of Origin System; Africa Struggling 16/05/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments A small number of World Intellectual Property Organization members this week are negotiating to expand a treaty to protect geographical indications, products like Champagne. Under the old treaty, which protects appellations of origin, over half of the registrations are in France, and another large amount in Italy. According to an analysis, many of the 28 members of the treaty have zero or very few registrations, raising the question of how the new GI protection will be different if agreed.
WHO Leads Effort To Build R&D Roadmap For Future Epidemics 15/05/2015 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Health Organization is working to learn from the fast response on research and development for Ebola that led to effective treatments in a short time. It hopes that this changes the way R&D for emergency vaccines is done forever.
Polish Government Drafts IP Law Reform 13/05/2015 by Jaroslaw Adamowski for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment WARSAW — More than twenty years after Poland’s parliament passed the Authors’ and Related Rights law of 1994, the Polish government is drafting three bills to modify the country’s intellectual property legislation. The first of the drafts prepared by the Polish Ministry of Culture and National heritage was submitted to the Parliament in March, and is currently being deliberated, while the ministry is finishing work on the remaining two drafts.
WIPO Diplomatic Conference On GIs Starts With 28 Member Governments 11/05/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Last-ditch efforts by a range of World Intellectual Property Organization members to join treaty negotiations at WIPO this week failed, as the 28 members of the treaty rejected a proposal to allow non-members. As a result, WIPO’s biggest-paying member called into question the future legitimacy of the UN organisation.
Q&A With US On Concerns About Lisbon GI Treaty Negotiation 08/05/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Next week, the 28 members of the Lisbon Agreement for the Protection of Appellations of Origin and their International Registration administered by the World Intellectual Property Organization are expected to conduct a high-level negotiating meeting to agree on a new Act of the agreement. Major changes expected are the inclusion of geographical indications in the agreement, and the possibility for intergovernmental organisations such as the European Union to become members of the revised agreement. The United States has been among the leading countries concerned about the negotiation. In a Q&A, the US in written answers explained the concerns. The questions were sent by Intellectual Property Watch’s Catherine Saez.
Ratification Of Marrakesh Treaty For The Blind Postponed In Europe? 08/05/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments The German Federation of Blind and Partially Sighted today sounded the alarm over another dispute about the “Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled”. The German and the Italian governments are blocking a compromise on the path for ratification in the European Union, the Blind Federation said in a press release. The EU Council of Ministers is expected to take a decision on the ratification next week
In ‘Huge’ Move, WHO Adds Key Hepatitis C, Cancer, TB Drugs To Essential Medicines List 08/05/2015 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The World Health Organization today published its updated Model List of Essential Medicines, including high-priced new treatments for hepatitis C, cancers and multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) that were quickly applauded by the public health advocacy community.
At WIPO Event, Music Creators Tell Of Desperate Economic Times 08/05/2015 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment NEW YORK – Musicians, songwriters, and producers recently gathered at a World Intellectual Property Organization event here and gave a stark depiction of a broken system that is not working for them financially, putting the very future of music-making at risk.
‘Bound By Law’, 26 Lisbon Members Say No To Fully Open Diplomatic Conference On GIs 07/05/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The ambassadors of all but two members of a 28-member World Intellectual Property Organization-administered treaty protecting appellations of origin said in a letter yesterday that international law requires that only treaty members participate in next week’s negotiations to add geographical indications to the treaty.