WTO Job Opening For Legal Analyst On TRIPS Agreement 30/03/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Trade Organization has issued a call to hire a legal analyst specialised on intellectual property law, including the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).
17 Civil Society Groups Urge EU To Support WHO Resolution On Cancer 30/03/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A range of civil society organisations today issued a letter to European Union leadership urging support for a World Health Organization resolution that mandates a feasibility study on a fund for cancer research and development that delinks R&D costs from the price of health technologies.
WHO Flu Framework Looks At Virus Genetic Information Sharing, Private Sector Contribution 28/03/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments How to deal with genetic information rather than physical samples of pandemic influenza virus continues to be discussed at the World Health Organization. For the moment, only physical samples are part of a framework of access and benefit sharing set up and run by the WHO. This week, the framework advisory group is meeting and according to sources, suggested steps to establish guidance on how to address virus genetic information will be shared by the WHO during the meeting.
What To Watch Out For In The EU-Mercosur FTA Negotiations: Consequences For Access To Medicines 22/03/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 6 Comments As negotiations take place this week, an evaluation of the impact of one of the TRIPS-plus measures of the Mercosur/EU FTA on the prices of medicines in Brazil has been released. Based on the draft of the agreement, by their calculations, an additional USD 444 million would be necessary to be spent by the public health system for the purchase of six medicines alone, write Marcela Fogaça Vieira and Gabriela Costa Chaves.
UN Development Programme Calls For Reform Of IP And Investor Protection Regimes 21/03/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A United Nations Development Programme report released today places importance on transforming global institutions, and establishing fair trade and investment rules. The report calls for global reform of the intellectual property rights regime and investor protection regime. In addition, the report ranks countries on their human development level, putting Norway first followed by Australia and Switzerland.
Chile: Civil Society, Members Of Congress Urge Issuance Of Compulsory Licences 21/03/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Representatives of Chilean civil society and Congress this week presented the Chilean health minister with a proposal urging the government to take advantage of international trade law and a newly passed congressional resolution to issue compulsory licences on high-priced drugs for hepatitis C and prostate cancer.
World Bank Now Relying On Capital Markets, Focuses On Fragile Countries 20/03/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment After the announcement in December of a record US$75 billion commitment to its International Development Association (IDA), the World Bank Group said today that this commitment was both historic in terms of value, and also a sign of a paradigm change, including the raising of funds from capital markets.
Brazilian Legend Celso Amorim Recounts Negotiation For TRIPS Flexibilities 16/03/2017 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments Minister Celso Amorim of Brazil has had a significant impact on the state of global negotiations in his professional lifetime, including on global intellectual property rights.
Are The EPO President’s Days Numbered? 15/03/2017 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment With rumours swirling that European Patent Office President Benoît Battistelli is seeking another term in office, disgruntled staff members called another demonstration today to try to push the office’s governing body, which is meeting on 15-16 March, to find a successor. [Further update on meeting outcome now added]
UN High-Level Panel On Access To Medicines Takes Next Step At Human Rights Council 09/03/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The United Nations Human Rights Council held a panel discussion yesterday to exchange views on good practices and key challenges relevant to access to medicines. The panel gave a large part of the discussion to the recent report of the United Nations Secretary General’s High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines, much to the chagrin of the European Union and the United States.