WIPO Members Work To Toughen Up Procedures For Investigations Of High-Level Officials 07/10/2016 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Member governments of the UN World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) are working intensively in a closed-door session today to make changes to the way allegations of wrongdoing against high-ranking WIPO officials are handled. What is not clear from the secretive discussions is whether any action will be taken against the director general as a result of a UN investigation of his activities, for which the UN report is on the meeting agenda.
Gurry Speaks On Allegations For First Time As WIPO Members Discuss Actions 30/09/2016 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments Heading into next week’s annual UN World Intellectual Property Organization General Assemblies, WIPO member states are considering a report from the United Nations investigations office regarding allegations of wrongdoing made involving WIPO Director General Francis Gurry. And for first time since the allegations arose, Gurry has offered his defence. Spoiler alert: he neither confirmed nor denied it but raised questions about the legality of sharing the report with member states.
Skepticism On Global Trade Arises Even As ‘Potential Exists To Expand Commerce Internationally’ 30/09/2016 by Peter Kenny for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A lot of skepticism about global trade has arisen just at a time when there is the potential to involve large swaths of the population who were previously not able to access the international exchange of commerce.
UN Panel Report On Access To Medicines Seen As Holding Potential For Change 29/09/2016 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment NEW YORK – Speakers at a side event to the United Nations General Assembly last week commended a new report on access to medicines prepared by a high-level panel hand-chosen by the UN secretary general as containing fresh ideas and the potential to bring change to a longstanding problem.
Regional Trade Agreements Address Issues Missed By Multilateralism, Speakers Say 28/09/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Although regional trade agreements are increasing, there is no hiding the fact that they are meeting rising resistance from the public and are difficult to negotiate. At the World Trade Organization Public Forum this week, an industry panel sought to explore how trade agreements could be linked to the WTO process, and if elements of those agreements could be taken on at the multilateral level.
WEF On Competitiveness: Openness In Decline, Push In Innovation, Tech Needed 28/09/2016 by Alexandra Nightingale for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The world is seeing a decline in openness in economies, the World Economic Forum said in its new Global Competitiveness Report 2016 – 2017. But WEF sees an increased role for technology, innovation and business sophistication. And the most competitive nation in the world? Switzerland again.
WTO Public Forum Opens Against Gloomy Global Trade Perspectives 27/09/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The 15th World Trade Organization Public Forum, an annual event that brings together stakeholders and members of the public to discuss trade issues, opened today. This year, the focus is on inclusive trade. During the opening session, participants underlined the need for support of micro enterprises, in particular in developing countries. Also today, the WTO released its trade statistics and outlook for 2016, which announced the slowest pace of trade and output growth since the 2009 financial crisis.
CETA To Be Signed (Again) During EU-Canada Summit In Mid-October 23/09/2016 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment European Union trade ministers at an informal meeting in Bratislava, Slovakia today agreed on the final steps to enact CETA, the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement between Canada and the EU. There will be no other reopening of the text, assured EU Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmstroem after the meeting. But ministers have agreed, according to Slovak Minister of Economy Peter Ziga, that some sensitive issues have to be straightened out in an additional annex to the CETA text.
Leaks Show TISA No Easy Trade Deal; Civil Rights Groups, Unions Alarmed 20/09/2016 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Greenpeace, European Digital Rights, Public Services International and the International Transport Worker’s Federation today presented a collection of leaked papers on the Trade in Services Agreement (TISA). As negotiators from a dozen countries currently gathered in Geneva for officially the 20th round to close the deal on better trans-border service trading, the civil rights activists and trade union representatives warned that TISA partners would commit to give up their options to regulate in the public interest through a secret deal.
Delinkage Of R&D Costs From Product Prices 15/09/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments It is essential that policy makers reform the systems for financing R&D, and de-link the costs of R&D from the prices of products, says James Love.