Company Takes A Fair Shot At Facebook, LinkedIn, With Social Networking Patents 15/01/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments A Virginia-based company in the midst of a multi-million dollar merger is asserting patents on fundamental aspects of social networking it says have been infringed by Facebook, LinkedIn and three other companies. But even if the patents have validity, they come at a time of what may be a backlash against such lawsuits.
EPO Staff To Get Disputed €28M Bonus, Despite Protest 10/01/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The European Patent Office Administrative Council in December agreed to award a controversial bonus of tens of millions of euros to EPO staff at the end of 2012, with 24 positive votes and 8 negative votes. Several stakeholders had protested the proposal and encouraged contracting states in the Administrative Council to vote against the measure.
IP-Watch Looks At The Year Ahead In International IP Policy 09/01/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment What will 2013 bring for international intellectual property and innovation policy? In the coming Intellectual Property Watch series for subscribers, our expert writers take a look at the top global policy issues and events in copyright, public health, legal battles, food security/biotech/biodiversity, trade, development, internet governance and more.
Collaborative Capacity Building In Intellectual Property — Leveraging On African Diaspora Exchange 02/01/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Depending on where one locates its advent, contemporary globalization is now more than half a century old. It might be asked whether globalization has been beneficial to Africa. One quick and easy way of addressing this often asked question is to cursorily look at the regional dynamics of over half century of globalization. And this leads to an urgent call for “homeland-Diaspora” intellectual property training, says Prof. Chidi Oguamanam.
WHO Members Agree On “Strategic Work Plan” On Health R&D – But No Convention 29/11/2012 by Rachel Marusak Hermann, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments After three days and two nights of tough negotiations to address the global gap in research and development for neglected diseases at the World Health Organization, member states agreed to endorse a strategic work plan that includes proposals on the coordination, financing, and monitoring of R&D expenditures separately, but not to advance the idea of an overarching framework. The recommendation for a global R&D convention proved divisive to the very end of the negotiations.
WHO Negotiations To Address Medical R&D Global Gaps Head Deep Into Night 29/11/2012 by Rachel Marusak Hermann, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Negotiations on the follow-up of the report of the expert group on research and development for neglected diseases tonight were continuing in a late-night session at the World Health Organization. At press time, member states were discussing options to address the research coordination, financing, and monitoring of medical R&D expenditures for the health needs of developing countries.
International Instrument On Medical R&D Still On Negotiating Table At WHO 28/11/2012 by Rachel Marusak Hermann, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment World Health Organization member states gathering this week at the WHO headquarters in a meeting to address global gaps in the drug development system said that there is still much work to be done before consensus can be reached on a resolution. For now, the latest draft resolution keeps a wide range of monitoring, coordinating, and financing options on the table, not yet setting a clear direction.
UNITAID: Alternative Funding Mechanism For AIDS Drugs Saving Lives 27/11/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment UNITAID, an alternative funding mechanism for pharmaceuticals to the poor, said today that its work has helped develop new ways to treat children infected with HIV where there was previously little commercial incentive. The statement alongside the World AIDS Day announcement that the number of newly infected children continues to decline. UNITAID called for the international community to help children already living with the disease.
Special Report: With Poor And Uninsured A Majority, Southeast Asia Sees Rise In Generics 27/11/2012 by Maricel Estavillo for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Four of the world’s most populous nations are in Southeast Asia and with roughly two-thirds of its population lacking access to medicines, the region holds promise for the cheaper generic drugs. Already, observers are taking note of how the region is changing the dynamics of the global business.
WHO Members Meet This Week To Address Global Gaps In Medical R&D 25/11/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments World Health Organization member states and official non-governmental observers will gather at the WHO headquarters this week for an open-ended meeting to analyse the feasibility of new models for financing research and development for diseases lacking sufficient market incentives and public policies.