Fair Usage In Caribbean Intellectual Property 16/01/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments A panoramic view of the IP situation in the Caribbean would present to the observer a carnival of Olympic size replete with politicians, diplomats, rights advocates, consumer groups, law enforcement, and impotent jurists, all gyrating discordantly to the WIPO band while Caribbean citizens look on, or are pulled or shoved in, writes Abiola Inniss.
IP & Traditional Cultural Expressions: An Unnatural Alliance? 05/01/2011 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Incorporating traditional cultural expressions into an intellectual property system will be an uphill battle, warned a panellist at a recent side event at the World Intellectual Property Organization. But, argued another, it could be one of the best ways for indigenous communities to benefit from their knowledge.
Top IP-Watch Stories Of 2010: Copyright Fights, ACTA, Medicines Access 30/12/2010 by William New and Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment At Intellectual Property Watch, a list of the top 25 posts of 2010 reveals your – our readers’ – top interests and tells the tale of the past year. It also is a reminder that quality reporting needs support. Please subscribe to IP-Watch via our website, or contact the director at wnew@ip-watch.ch.
US Ambassador: Over-Focus On Development “Will Kill” WIPO 17/12/2010 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments The World Intellectual Property Organization is headed in a controversial direction, and a focus on development at the expense of protection of intellectual property rights will mean the end of the agency, the United States Ambassador Betty King said yesterday.
WIPO’s Gurry Says ‘Crisis In Multilateralism’ Bringing Changes To IP 17/12/2010 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The rapid pace of technology and dramatic shifts in the global economy will bring change to the multilateral structure set up after the Second World War, and these changes will affect the intellectual property system, World Intellectual Property Organization Director General Francis Gurry said this week.
UN Climate Talks Find Make-Do Solution; IP Rights Dismissed 14/12/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The United Nations climate change conference closed at dawn last Saturday, with a make-do package of decisions advantageously labelled the “Cancun Agreements”. Intellectual property rights have all but disappeared from the texts as Bolivia stood alone in disagreement and was shush-gavelled.
Europe Told Of Obligations On Virus Benefit-Sharing 14/12/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment In what may be the first legal reference to newly adopted international rules on sharing the benefits of and access to genetic resources, non-governmental groups have sent letters to top European health officials reminding them of these obligations in the context of influenza viruses and access to vaccines – a topic under debate this week at the World Health Organization.
Caribbean IP: Ensure Unending Local Protection Of Traditional Knowledge 07/12/2010 by Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments In the Caribbean, issues of traditional knowledge in intellectual property are hardly considered to be of special significance to the majority of policymakers and, except for a few pockets of interest groups such as a group of Rastafarians in Jamaica, the average citizen is uninformed on the subject. The protection of the cultural heritage of the region through a normative system of law is exceedingly necessary for the survival of our unique brand of cultural expression, writes Abiola Inniss.
Studies Inform WIPO Enforcement Meeting As Development Issues Debated 03/12/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Development Agenda coordination again topped the agenda this week at the latest World Intellectual Property Organization meeting – this time, in the Advisory Committee on Enforcement. Also causing discussion was how to proceed with the group’s work programme, as seven governments made different suggestions for future topics.
Patent System Mainly Serves Select Developed Country Industries, Study Says 02/12/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The global patent system is intended to promote innovation and increase growth, but this might not always be the case, as it might only serve industries relying heavily on patents in advanced economies, according to a study on patents and manufacturing industries presented at the World Intellectual Property Organization this week.