Russia To Better Protect IP Of Its Innovative Companies Abroad 02/11/2015 by Eugene Gerden for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Russian government is considering a package of measures aimed at better protecting intellectual property of Russian innovative companies abroad, according to an official spokesman of the Russian Ministry of Communications.
Expert: As A UN Agency, WIPO Has Role To Play On Neglected Diseases 02/11/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments According to a prominent researcher in the field of neglected tropical diseases, the World Intellectual Property Organization has a prominent role to play in addressing the lack of research and development for neglected diseases.
Academic Tells WTO, WIPO, WHO To Stop Using The Term “Developing Countries” 28/10/2015 by Marianna Drake for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A lively keynote address urging international organisations to adopt a fact-based view of the world and new ways of segmenting countries in an increasingly convergent world, set the scene for the annual trilateral symposium on public health, intellectual property and trade taking place at the World Trade Organization today.
Kenya Considers Lifting Ban On GMOs; Seed Patents In Debate 28/10/2015 by Fredrick Nzwili for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments NAIROBI, Kenya – A Kenyan government plan to lift the ban on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is stirring a heated debate here, with experts warning on safety and the East African nation’s preparedness for the technology.
External Review Of WIPO Re:Search Shows Successes, Areas For Further Work 27/10/2015 by William New and Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A revealing independent review to be published this week on WIPO Re:Search, the World Intellectual Property Organization initiative for development of medical products for neglected tropical diseases, malaria and tuberculosis, gives a set of recommendations to ensure the sustainability and success of the initiative.
Plant Treaty Budget, Work Programme Approved; Farmers Concerned 26/10/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The treaty on plant genetic resources held its governing body meeting earlier this month with new initiatives to bring financial sustainability to the treaty, in particular to study the possibility of a subscription system to access the treaty’s plant genetic materials. Also, the Governing Body approved the first work programme of a global information system, which includes an initiative to enhance the use of gene bank materials, to the dismay of farmers’ organisations.
WSIS+10 Explained: Interview With Constance Bommelaer, Internet Society 22/10/2015 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment On 15-16 December 2015, government officials from more than 190 countries will meet in New York to discuss the future of the internet. They will review progress made in achieving the goals set forth 10 years ago at the Tunis World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) meeting. The aptly named WSIS+10 Review is a pivotal point in determining the fate of the open internet – discussions at the review can influence how the internet is governed for the next decade, as well as whether the internet will continue as a means of economic development and opportunity for the global economy. Alongside this week’s WSIS+10 stakeholder meetings at the UN, Intellectual Property Watch’s William New sat down with the Senior Director of Global Internet Policy at the Internet Society, Constance Bommelaer, to discuss what to expect in New York and the impact this meeting will have on the future of the internet.
Book Review: How ‘Dialogue Of The Deaf’ Produced A Sound Tool For Policy-Making 22/10/2015 by Peter Ungphakorn for Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments International trade agreements are sometimes demonised as the Grand Plan imposed by major powers in cahoots with multinational corporations. Intellectual property rights is a particular target, as is the case currently with the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), and previously with the World Trade Organization’s Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS). “The Making of the TRIPS Agreement”, the insightful, unofficial collected memoirs of 17 of the agreement’s key authors, plus one editor, challenges that view in two ways, writes Peter Ungphakorn.
WIPO Re:Search Side Event – Realisations And Steps Forward 21/10/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Alongside the recent World Intellectual Property Organization General Assembly, the WIPO Global Challenges Division presented WIPO Re:Search, a public-private consortium to facilitate research on neglected tropical diseases, tuberculosis and malaria.
WTO TRIPS Council Addresses Non-Violation, Paragraph 6 Drug Exports 15/10/2015 by William New and Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The World Trade Organization intellectual property committee today addressed exports of cheaper medicines, and disputes that could arise even when there is no WTO violation. Tomorrow it will decide the hot-button issue of how long least-developed countries have before they must comply with international IP trade rules – on which LDCs said today they are ready to talk about a deal.