WIPO Survey Seeks Public Input On UN Agency’s Development Agenda 24/12/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Interested observers have a unique opportunity until mid-January to give their views on the landmark 2007 World Intellectual Property Organization Development Agenda, including its implementation, relevance, impact, effectiveness, efficiency in use of resources, and its sustainability.
WSIS+10: Roles, Responsibilities Remain Hot; Cybersecurity Treaty Demanded By Many States 16/12/2015 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments Between a lot of applause this week for the first post-WSIS (World Summit on the Information Society) decade and especially for the negotiated agreement for the coming 10 years, some cracks appeared. These tell how differently regions still view roles and responsibilities for critical infrastructure management, and also the discrepancy between declaration and deployment of principles of the information society. In a notable statement, Mitchell Baker, chair of the Mozilla Foundation, warned that governments still have to learn how to govern the connected.
Alongside WTO Ministerial, Officials Stress Gains On TRIPS And Health 16/12/2015 by Fredrick Nzwili for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments NAIROBI, Kenya — On the sidelines of the World Trade Organization Ministerial Summit this week in Nairobi, senior officials from the Kenya government, Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), civil society and others discussed a WTO intellectual property rights amendment on public health to better enable poor nations to access essential medicines.
UN Launches High-Level Panel On Access To Medicines 16/12/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments A United Nations high-level panel of experts has set a process in motion to find solutions to increase access to medicines. Following its first meeting last week, the panel will call for proposals to recommend solutions that can promote innovation, but preserve human rights and public health interests.
Ahead Of WTO Summit In Nairobi, Kenya’s IP Laws Come Under Scrutiny 10/12/2015 by Fredrick Nzwili for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment NAIROBI, Kenya- Ahead of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Summit in Nairobi, Kenya’s intellectual property laws are coming under scrutiny over what experts see as their inability to protect economic projects and inspire innovations.
The Anniversary The World Trade Organization Would Rather Forget 06/12/2015 by Peter Ungphakorn for Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The World Trade Organization (WTO)’s 20th anniversary celebrations are about to reach a climax with the 15–18 December Nairobi Ministerial Conference — the first to be held in Africa — following a celebratory Public Forum in Geneva in October. Just over a week before Nairobi, another anniversary is slipping by almost unnoticed. Today, December 6, is the 10th anniversary of a decision that the Director-General at the time, Pascal Lamy, hailed as confirmation “once again that members are determined to ensure the WTO’s trading system contributes to humanitarian and development goals.”
No Future Work Programme For WIPO Patent Law Committee; Questions On Development Orientation 06/12/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Two days of informal consultations last week did not bring World Intellectual Property Organization members to agreement on a work programme for the next session of its committee on the law of patents. Developed and developing countries have different views on the work of the committee, with developing countries seeking work on patent on health, and limitations and exceptions to patent rights, while developed countries are more interested in work-sharing between patent offices and protecting the confidentiality of information between patent advisers and their clients.
Law Boosts Awareness, Patents From Research Institutions In South Africa 04/12/2015 by Munyaradzi Makoni for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment CAPE TOWN, South Africa — A law to regulate intellectual property derived from research and development conducted using public funds has boosted the number of patent applications filed and granted by universities and research institutions in the past five years.
ARIPO Continues To Build Member State IP Capacities 02/12/2015 by Hillary Muheebwa for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) recently held two top organ meetings in Lusaka, Zambia, to debate the organisation’s strategic plan for 2016-2020.
WIPO Patent Law Committee Looks At Access To Medicines, Confidentiality 30/11/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization committee on patent law is meeting this week, including a half-day seminar on the relationship between patent systems and the availability of medicines in developing countries and least-developed countries.