Thailand Enforces Law To Promote IP As Loan Collateral, Amends Trademark Law To Raise Penalty For Deception 18/08/2016 by Sinfah Tunsarawuth for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment BANGKOK – Thailand has enforced a new law to promote using intellectual property as loan collateral, an effort likely to make intellectual property a more valuable asset for its holders. But experts caution that the country still lacks the infrastructure of a viable IP market.
Growing Call For Transparency Within African CMOs To Ensure Membership Confidence 16/08/2016 by Hillary Muheebwa for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment KAMPALA, Uganda — Collective management organisations (CMOs) in African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) member states, and Africa at large, have the potential to contribute to the growth and development of creative industries. However, they need to be supported, guided and supervised to ensure that they achieve the purpose for which they are established.
US Senate Judiciary Chairman Questions High Cost Of Medicare Drug Coverage 27/07/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments United States Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley, an Iowa Republican, has demanded answers from the government Medicare programme regarding the rapid rise in costs of coverage of Americans’ prescription drugs. The demand follows a press report showing an extremely high climb in costs for the so-called “catastrophic coverage” program.
US High Court Restores Treble Damages For Patent Infringement 26/07/2016 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments Pulse Electronics was guilty of patent infringement. That had been decided long ago. The only remaining issue was how much Pulse must pay for its wrongdoing. The company could be liable for treble damages, provided its infringement was willful. Fortunately for Pulse, willful infringement was almost impossible to prove, thanks to a standard established by the Federal Circuit. Unfortunately for Pulse, its lawsuit reached the US Supreme Court. And in its recent ruling on the case, the high court threw out the Federal Circuit’s standard, making it far easier to prove willful infringement. The decision is likely to have an important impact on patent litigation, the courts, and companies doing business in the US.
UNCTAD’s Work On IP To Continue In Strengthened Four-Year Mandate 25/07/2016 by Fredrick Nzwili for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment NAIROBI, Kenya (IP-Watch) – Intellectual property rights related to trade and development will continue to be part of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)’s programme work, according to an agreement on the organisation’s four-year mandate reached at the agency’s 14th session in Nairobi.
Commitment On Investment In Access To Essential Medicines Signed At UNCTAD14 22/07/2016 by Fredrick Nzwili for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment NAIROBI, Kenya (IP-Watch) – A commitment signed this week to facilitate investment in Africa’s pharmaceutical industry is expected to boost the sector’s production and make available essential medicines for millions of needy people.
Blockstream’s New Patent Strategy: Trust Us, We Won’t Sue You 21/07/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Blockstream, which developed the blockchain technology and bitcoin, has announced a defensive patent strategy. The crux of it: assurance that users of its technology won’t be sued.
WIPO Names Vivendi Executive Sylvie Forbin Of France New DDG For Copyright 14/07/2016 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The World Intellectual Property Organization director general has named Sylvie Forbin of France, a veteran diplomat and copyright industry representative, as the next head of the WIPO Copyright and Creative Industries Sector. Forbin was chosen from more than 300 applicants, according to WIPO.
Gilead’s Use Of Patents For $10B Tax Dodge Could Ignite Move For Policy Change 13/07/2016 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Gilead is the US company whose use of patents to charge $1000 per pill for a hepatitis C medicine in the United States helped make high drug prices a developed country household issue and fodder for elected officials seeking change. Now the company has come under further fire after being found to have moved some US$10 billion overseas to avoid US taxes – even after having received US taxpayer support for its activities – which it orchestrated by moving its patent rights overseas. A new report detailing the company’s tax dodge includes a proposal for a way to clamp down on this type of patent activity.
New Book On Price-Reducing Strategies For Essential Medicines Under IPRs 13/07/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A new book and website examine the impact of intellectual property rights on access to new essential medicines and call for measures that were used to reduce prices of patented HIV medicines to be applied in the case of essential medicines.