FAO Plant Treaty To Operationalise Benefit-Sharing Fund 14/01/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Kaitlin Mara Benefits from sharing and using biodiversity of food crops could soon be making their way to stakeholders, as the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture prepares to make its benefit-sharing fund fully operational. For the first time, say members of the treaty secretariat, this fund completes the circle […]
US IP Attachés Take Hard-Line Position On Overseas IP Enforcement 26/12/2008 by Drew Clark for Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments By Drew Clark for Intellectual Property Watch WASHINGTON, DC – Nations ranging from Brazil to Brunei to Russia are failing to properly protect the intellectual property assets of US companies and others, and international organisations are not doing enough to stop it, seven IP attachés to the US Foreign and Commercial Service lamented recently. Meanwhile, […]
Document From WIPO Details Strategy On IP, Climate Change 18/12/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Kaitlin Mara A draft document on climate change and intellectual property, prepared for informal consultations by the World Intellectual Property Organization and obtained by Intellectual Property Watch, shows WIPO poised to take a role in technical matters of IP and the global climate crisis.
Last-Minute Progress Made On Pandemic Flu; More Still To Come 15/12/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Kaitlin Mara Significant strides were made at last week’s World Health Organization meeting on pandemic influenza preparedness, as assembled delegates searched for – and found – a way to satisfy member states’ differing views on the need for access to viruses and related biological materials and the need for access to vaccines and other […]
WHO Members Slow To Bridge Disagreements At Pandemic Flu Meeting 11/12/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Kaitlin Mara Four days into one-week “critical” negotiations on pandemic influenza preparedness, World Health Organization members had yet to tackle areas of core disagreement and participants were expressing doubt as to whether consensus can be achieved by week’s end. Details on the definition of “Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Biological Materials,” on the content of […]
Technology, IP Vital To Addressing Climate Change, UN Meeting Hears 11/12/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Kaitlin Mara Finding a balance between needed incentives for innovation and equally needed affordable access to new technology is necessary to combat ecological challenges, yet striking it may prove difficult as countries at the United Nations’ talks on climate change struggle to determine what action is possible in the midst of a global economic […]
Generic Drugmakers, Activists Praise Lamy; Gurry Defends ‘Respect’ For IP 11/12/2008 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By William New Generic pharmaceutical producers have grown in importance in recent years despite or because of intellectual property rights, and at their annual meeting this week in Geneva they attracted the leaders of the primary intergovernmental institutions engaged in IP rights policy. Generic industry representatives and access to medicines activists praised an opening speech […]
An Alternative Proposal For Enhancing Developing Country Access To Patented Medicines 10/12/2008 by Wagdy Sawahel for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Wagdy Sawahel for Intellectual Property Watch An intellectual property model intended to preserve the structure of patent protection while adding balance for developing countries has been proposed to provide incentives for innovators to contribute toward the alleviation of suffering in developing countries in dire need of patented medicines largely owned by rich countries. This […]
Droits de propriété intellectuelle et organismes génétiquement modifiés : une combinaison fatale selon les activistes 09/12/2008 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Par Catherine Saez L’extension des brevets aux organismes génétiquement modifiés (OGM) et leur production dans de nombreux pays menacent les droits des agriculteurs et la biodiversité, la sécurité alimentaire dépendant de plus en plus d’une poignée d’entreprises transnationales de biotechnologie, selon les intervenants à un atelier qui s’est déroulé récemment à Genève. L’atelier a été […]
WHO Renews Delicate Effort On Pandemic Influenza Virus-Sharing 08/12/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Kaitlin Mara An avian influenza outbreak would be a public health disaster, but for the World Health Organization to adequately prepare for that risk, member states must come to a resolution on intellectual property issues related to virus and vaccine sharing. They hope to do so this week, as the Intergovernmental Meeting on Pandemic […]