Panellists: Price Is Main Barrier To Medicines Access In Rich And Poor Countries 30/10/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments A joint symposium of the World Health Organization, World Trade Organization and World Intellectual Property Organization this week included several panels on how trade, public health and intellectual property could positively interact to increase access to medicines.
Court Orders USTR To Justify Industry Advisor Confidentiality In TPP 29/10/2015 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) next week is expected to provide justification for withholding from a Freedom of Information Act request the communications with its industry advisors as confidential commercial or financial information. The case involves communications in the lead-up to completion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, and could set a precedent for exemptions of communications with lobbyists.
Is There Hope For Better WIPO Administration-Staff Relations? 29/10/2015 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The president of the World Intellectual Property Organization staff association earlier this month raised profound concerns about ongoing practices involving staff at the UN institution. The WIPO director general then took the floor to address many of the concerns, offering explanations on various points, according to participants. In the end, both sides may be looking for an improvement this year.
WIPO Seminar: Digitisation Boosts Production Of New Music, Movies, Books 29/10/2015 by Marianna Drake for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The latest instalment of the World Intellectual Property Organization seminar series, “The Economics of Intellectual Property,” set out to answer the question of whether the process of digitisation has affected the supply of new creative works.
Academic Tells WTO, WIPO, WHO To Stop Using The Term “Developing Countries” 28/10/2015 by Marianna Drake for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A lively keynote address urging international organisations to adopt a fact-based view of the world and new ways of segmenting countries in an increasingly convergent world, set the scene for the annual trilateral symposium on public health, intellectual property and trade taking place at the World Trade Organization today.
HIV Medicine Aluvia Stock-Out Dogs South Africa, Raising Patent Concerns 28/10/2015 by Munyaradzi Makoni for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment CAPE TOWN, South Africa – While Médecins Sans Frontières have blamed stock-outs of ‘Aluvia’ on the refusal to licence a patent for a generic of the HIV medicine in South Africa by AbbVie pharmaceutical company leading to persistent supply problems, the company said it has taken measures to address the problem.
External Review Of WIPO Re:Search Shows Successes, Areas For Further Work 27/10/2015 by William New and Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A revealing independent review to be published this week on WIPO Re:Search, the World Intellectual Property Organization initiative for development of medical products for neglected tropical diseases, malaria and tuberculosis, gives a set of recommendations to ensure the sustainability and success of the initiative.
Royalties Collection On Rise, Digital Income Catches Up With Physical, Report Says 27/10/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Royalty collection is on the rise, according to an international confederation of collecting societies, with Europe being the most fruitful market and North America showing the highest growth. Digital income now equals physical revenues from royalties, the report says, and performing rights account for the bulk of collections.
Russian Parliament May Suspend Reform Of IP System 26/10/2015 by Eugene Gerden for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The ongoing reform of the Russian system of intellectual property may be suspended, due to recent criticism of some of its aspects by the Russian Parliament (State Duma).
Plant Treaty Budget, Work Programme Approved; Farmers Concerned 26/10/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The treaty on plant genetic resources held its governing body meeting earlier this month with new initiatives to bring financial sustainability to the treaty, in particular to study the possibility of a subscription system to access the treaty’s plant genetic materials. Also, the Governing Body approved the first work programme of a global information system, which includes an initiative to enhance the use of gene bank materials, to the dismay of farmers’ organisations.