360 Applicants Bid For Top WIPO Posts; Selection Process Underway 15/07/2014 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The World Intellectual Property Organization is currently engaged in an unprecedented process for the selection of the new top management team to serve under recently re-elected Director General Francis Gurry. The open call for applicants resulted in some 360 applications from around the world, including from the upper echelons of WIPO itself, according to sources.
Seed Treaty Celebrates Ten Year Anniversary; Focus On Funding, Collaborations 10/07/2014 by Catherine Saez and Maëli Astruc for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The International Seed Treaty held a celebratory high-level event recently to mark the tenth anniversary of its entry into force.
WTO Members Open Negotiations On Green Goods Trade Agreement 08/07/2014 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Members of the World Trade Organization today opened negotiations on the liberalisation of environmental technologies or “green goods.”
African Groups Seek To Modify “UPOV 91+” Draft Protocol 03/07/2014 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A group of African civil society institutions is calling for a revision of the draft protocol on plant variety protection of the African Regional Intellectual Property Organisation.
When Cornish Pasty (GI) Meets Feta Cheese (AO) At WIPO For Equal Protection 29/06/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment An amendment to elevate the status of geographical indications at the World Intellectual Property Organization appears to be on track for a high-level final negotiation in 2015 after a meeting last week.
New Corporate Governance Model From UNEP-Industry Partnership 17/06/2014 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A corporate sustainability-centred model of governance is the subject of a new report issued by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) Finance Initiative, a UN-private sector initiative.
WIPO Report Indicates Unprecedented Rise In Renewable Energy Tech Innovation 13/06/2014 by Julia Fraser for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A new report commissioned by the World Intellectual Property Organization shows a huge increase in patent filings related to renewable energy technologies relative averages. The patent landscape in this area indicates that innovation is taking place across a greater geographical scope, and is shifting towards the global East. The report, presented this week, opens up questions for policymakers, and for further research regarding drivers for these trends and other measures of innovation.
TRIPS Council Debates Non-Violations, Innovation, Green Tech Transfer 12/06/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments Whether countries can bring intellectual property complaints against each other under the World Trade Organization even if they don’t violate WTO rules was a topic of debate this week, but could not be resolved.
Small Farmers’ Rights Sidelined In Uganda’s Plant Breeding Regulation 12/06/2014 by Hillary Muheebwa for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment In a country with over 35 million people, Uganda’s economy is based on agriculture. Over 80 percent of the country’s workforce is employed in the sector, contributing up to 23 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
UN Advisor Denounces Junk Food As ‘Culprit’ In Rising NCDs, Calls For Change 11/06/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Governments must assert the human right to health and take action against the massive rise in obesity globally, brought about by the widespread availability and pervasive marketing of unhealthy “junk” foods, Anand Grover, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to health, urged today.