Agreement On Future Work For Development Committee Snatched From Defeat At WIPO 12/05/2012 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments In what could be compared to an obstacle course, World Intellectual Property Organization members agreed late at night yesterday on the future work of a committee working on the development dimension of the organisation’s activities.
Frustrations Show At Slow Progress On Protection Of Traditional Knowledge at WIPO 21/04/2012 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments At the close of a WIPO meeting to advance a text to become a potential treaty to protect traditional knowledge, some countries found that the results of the session were somewhat disappointing, although some progress had been achieved.
Divergences Clarified On Protection Of Traditional Knowledge At WIPO 18/04/2012 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments From the outset of a World Intellectual Property Organization meeting to advance a potential treaty text on the protection of traditional knowledge, discussions on draft articles of the possible treaty confirmed divergence of views, notably between developed and developing countries.
Medicines Patent Pool Director Ellen ‘t Hoen To Leave Next Month 16/04/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Executive Director Ellen ‘t Hoen is departing the Medicines Patent Pool, the cutting edge UN spin-off project that works to lower prices on and stimulate new development of HIV medicines and other products through negotiating voluntary licence agreements. According to a release, ‘t Hoen has fulfilled the mission of guiding the organisation from a startup onto “firm footing” and has informed the Board that she will leave on 1 May.
Negotiators Aim For Progress On Traditional Knowledge Protection Treaty 14/04/2012 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Country delegates will try to make progress on a treaty text to protect traditional knowledge from misappropriation at the World Intellectual Property Organization next week. The hope of many is to bring it far enough for the annual members’ meeting in October to schedule a high-level treaty negotiation next year.
US Supreme Court Edges Toward Reviewing Extent Of GMO Patents 13/04/2012 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment It’s unclear if the US Supreme Court wants to address yet another controversial issue in patent law, but on 2 April, the court took a small step in that direction. That’s when the court formally asked the US Justice Department to opine on whether the high court should grant certiorari in Bowman v. Monsanto Co.
EPO Response: No Tricks On Patents On Seeds And Plants 05/04/2012 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment In response to a report published on 3 April by civil society group No Patent on Seeds alleging that industry and patent examiners in the European Patent Office are finding legal loopholes to grant patents on seeds and plants, an EPO spokesperson told Intellectual Property Watch the patent office does not “apply tricks” to grant patents.
After Mayo, Is Patent Law More Restrictive In US Than Europe? 05/04/2012 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The United States is known for taking an unusually expansive approach towards patentable subject matter. Compared with Western Europe, for instance, the US has been far readier to grant patents on business methods, medical diagnostic processes, and human genes.
Group Says Industry, EPO Finding Loopholes To Patent Seeds, Plants 04/04/2012 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A new report by civil society group No Patent on Seeds was issued yesterday alleging that industry and patent examiners in the European Patent Office are “using legal loopholes to grant patents on seeds, plants and even harvest and food products derived thereof.”
Book Details IP Rights And Development 02/04/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Using on-the-ground research in Africa and the Netherlands, the authors of a recent book looked at the impact of intellectual property on agriculture and health in developing countries. The study made some surprise findings in relation to IP and development, such as IP-related obstacles to knowledge and technology transfer.