WIPO To Launch New Drug R&D Database For Neglected Disease Licences 19/10/2011 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The World Intellectual Property Organization, in conjunction with the World Health Organization, private sector and foundation partners, is preparing to launch a new voluntary database for the sharing of intellectual property for research and development on medicines, vaccines and diagnostics for neglected diseases, according to sources in Geneva.
To Stem Infringement, Block Money – Not Information 18/10/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The Protect IP Act, currently pending in the United States Senate, contains a range of steps designed to support the holders of American copyrights and trademarks by fighting a specific part of the online infringement problem: “rogue” websites whose primary or intended use is the infringement of US copyrights or trademarks. The bill would take promising new steps to diminish the financial rewards of IPR infringement – but it is saddled with ill-advised information blocking provisions that should, and probably will, be prevented from passing the Senate in its current form, writes David Robinson.
Trade And Access To Medicines: Things The WTO Should Consider 14/10/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments Some pending thorny issues linked with trade and access to medicines in developing countries did not come up at the September Public Forum of the World Trade Organization. As unsolved matters closely joining together trade and equitable access to medicines, they might serve as things the WTO should consider to help keep itself relevant and interesting, writes Daniele Dionisio.
EPO, European Commission Renew Commitment To Unitary Patent 06/10/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The head of the European Patent Office (EPO) and the European Commissioner for Internal Market and Services today renewed their commitment to introduce a unitary EU patent, which they say would significantly ease workloads and reduce costs for patent applicants.
A Response From The Authors Of The Health Impact Fund 03/10/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment In reaction to the recent IP-Watch Inside Views post “Health Impact Fund – Raising Issues of Distribution, IP Rights and Alliances,” by Sakiko Fukuda-Parr and Proochista Ariana, the authors offer a response on behalf of Incentives for Global Health (IGH), the non-profit organization that is developing the Health Impact Fund (HIF) proposal.
Talk Of Treaties, Revenue Increase, Development As WIPO Annual Assemblies Kick Off 27/09/2011 by Rachel Marusak Hermann and William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The annual World Intellectual Property Organization meeting of member states kicked off yesterday with hope among participants that the next year could bring a return to positive revenues, a settling of internal dissension, and some of the first treaties at the UN agency in nearly 20 years.
Health Impact Fund – Raising Issues Of Distribution, IP Rights And Alliances 26/09/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment This piece raises several issues with the public health financing proposal called the Health Impact Fund. It questions the relative distribution of costs and benefits; the persistent issue of intellectual property rights; as well as a lack of alliance with existing efforts to increase innovation of and access to essential medicines for the poor.
South Africa Conference On IP And Innovation 14/09/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A conference being held in South Africa this week will address the sensitive topic of intellectual property and innovation in the developing country context. On hand will be a top team of developed country experts with a mix of Indian and Chinese specialists.
UK Copyright Modernisation Effort Picks Up Steam 31/08/2011 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Efforts to modernise Britain’s creaking copyright regime sped up over the summer as the government accepted recommendations for major changes to the system, Parliament opened an inquiry into the matter, and the Intellectual Property Office said updating the rules could significantly boost the UK economy.
EU Announces €7B For Innovation, R&D 20/07/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The European Commission yesterday announced the availability of nearly €7 billion euros (nearly US$10 billion) to boost innovation, its biggest grant ever for research and development. The move is predicted to create 174,000 jobs in the short-term and some 450,000 jobs and €80 billion in economic growth over the next 15 years.