Small-Scale Farmers’ Innovation Overlooked In WIPO Negotiations, Panellists Say 07/02/2014 by Maëli Astruc for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A side event hosted by the Quaker United Nations Office (QUNO) this week called on negotiators at the World Intellectual Property Organization to include innovation by small-scale farmers and asked for complementarity of several international instruments dealing with this issue.
New CBD Access And Benefit Sharing Clearing-House Website Presented At WIPO 07/02/2014 by Julia Fraser for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A new website of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity will allow tracking of the use of genetic resources in order to ensure access and benefit-sharing of those resources.
Developing Countries Urged To Beat Biopiracy With Patent Examination, Regulatory Frameworks 07/02/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment While World Intellectual Property Organization members seek ways to address the issue of biopiracy, speakers at a side event to this week’s negotiations said the phenomenon is widespread. According to them, very few patent applicants source the origin of the resources they have used and on which they seek claims. Some measures can be taken […]
Study Maps Global Distribution Of Genetic Resources In Patented Claims 06/02/2014 by Julia Fraser for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A study of patent activity in the United Kingdom shows widespread global distribution of genetic resources used by UK innovators. The implications of international rules on access and benefit sharing will need to be communicated to these groups, who will among other things have to start assessing their supply chains to ensure full compliance throughout, according to the study author.
“No Patents On Seeds” Serves EPO Patent Objection And Free Pepper Soup 03/02/2014 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments 32 farmer, breeder and environmental organisations from 26 countries gathered by the “no-patents-on-seeds” alliance today filed an opposition against a patent on an insect-resistant sweet pepper at the European Patent Office in Munich.
New QUNO Reports Encourage Plant Variety Protection Alternatives 17/01/2014 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Quaker UN Office in Geneva has announced two new publications on intellectual property, agriculture, food and biological diversity.
UN Office On Drugs And Crime Launches Anti-Counterfeit Campaign Aimed At Organised Crime 14/01/2014 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) today launched a major awareness-raising campaign against trafficking in counterfeit goods, which it said is a major revenue source for organised crime worldwide: $250 billion per year.
Top IP-Watch Stories Of 2013: India, Marrakesh Treaty, Seed/Gene Patents, WIPO Election 09/01/2014 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Looking back on 2013, the list of the most-viewed stories on the Intellectual Property Watch website shows that reporting on activities in India, especially related to patents and public health, continued to draw the most attention. Other top stories were the Marrakesh Treaty on copyright exceptions for blind readers, legal cases involving patents on seeds and on plant and human genes, the election for World Intellectual Property Organization director general, free-trade agreements (including the Wikileaks leak of the IP chapter of the Trans-Atlantic Partnership agreement), Russian copyrights, and 3D printing.
Critical Moment For Africa’s Small Farmers As ARIPO Decides On Plant Variety Protection 28/11/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Africa Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) this week was expected to consider a proposal to move toward a biotechnology-friendly future, but small farmers say the current proposal will damage their ability to exist in the those countries.
WIPO Launches Green Tech Licensing Database, Network 28/11/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization today launched WIPO Green, a database and network aimed at boosting licensing of environmental technologies.