Full Agenda For WTO TRIPS Council Next Week 08/03/2006 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Trade Organization committee addressing intellectual property will face a full range of issues when it convenes for the first of three scheduled meetings this year. The 14-15 March meeting of the Council on the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) will tackle issues that have been tied to the larger […]
Public Health And Patents Heat Up WIPO Debate On Harmonisation 08/03/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Discussions at an open forum last week on a possible harmonisation of international patent laws showed that countries do not only disagree on whether it would be useful or not but also have different expectations on what such a harmonisation would encompass. Judging from the at times sharp debate, the most contentious issue seems to […]
Biotech Industry Fights Disclosure In Patents On Three IP Policy Fronts 02/03/2006 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment For the coming months, key biotechnology industry organisations are focusing their efforts on blocking the addition of disclosure of origin requirements in international patent applications on three fronts. The issue is being debated in three international fora: the World Trade Organization, the World Intellectual Property Organization and the Convention on Biological Diversity. Industry is mustering […]
Industry’s Take On WIPO Development Talks: An Interview With The Director General Of CropLife 24/02/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment On 22 February the biotechnology and crop industry association CropLife International hosted a side event as well as an evening reception to the ongoing discussions of a development agenda at World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). Intellectual Property Watch talked with CropLife Director General Christian Verschueren about what the industry thinks of the development agenda negotiations. […]
Agricultural IP Issues Debated At Industry Side Event To WIPO Meeting 24/02/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The international crop and biotechnology industry’s concerns about current discussions on intellectual property as well as developing countries’ needs were discussed at a recent industry side event to the ongoing discussions at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). The event was hosted by the Brussels-based industry association CropLife International. On the panel were Rita Hayes, […]
WTO Paper Summarises Discussion On Biological Diversity Convention 20/02/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Trade Organization secretariat has issued a new paper on the relationship between WTO rules on intellectual property rights and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The 78-page paper, which reflects the past eight years of discussion on the issue at the WTO, is now available on the WTO website. The paper is an […]
Negotiations On CBD Biodiversity Regime Reveal Disagreements 10/02/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment GRANADA, Spain – A meeting of government officials responsible for biodiversity here last week adopted draft recommendations on a possible international regime for biodiversity. But there were tough behind-the-scenes negotiations between all parties involved in the run-up to the adoption. The proposed regime would regulate access to and benefit sharing of genetic resources between users […]
UN Meeting Adopts Draft Global Regime On Use Of Genetic Resources 03/02/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment GRANADA, Spain – After intensive negotiations here this week, negotiators at a United Nations Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) conference adopted three draft documents recommending a new international regime for the use of genetic resources. The recommendations, if adopted by the signatory nations of the 1992 CBD, could enhance the rights of indigenous and local communities […]
Revised Biodiversity Draft Meets Strong Developed Country Opposition 02/02/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment GRANADA, Spain — A revised draft proposal for an international regime governing the use of genetic resources presented here on 2 February at a Convention on Biological Diversity negotiating session is meeting with strong opposition from developed countries. The new draft includes a proposal from Brazil on the disclosure of origin of genetic material in […]
Draft Of Global Regime On Genetic Resources Emerges At CBD 02/02/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment GRANADA, Spain – A draft version of international regulations on the use of genetic resources has been put forward by the chairwoman of a United Nations conference here. The draft was welcomed by developing countries and a few developed countries but met with deep scepticism from many developed countries, the pharmaceutical industry, and some inter-governmental […]