WHO, Gates, Industry And NGO Leaders Elevate Attention To Neglected Diseases 30/01/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A range of some of the world’s top public and private partners in public health today announced an “unprecedented” level of cooperation to fight diseases primarily afflicting poorest populations worldwide for which there is insufficient research and development and inadequate health systems. But how the initiative will tie in with governments’ efforts at the World Health Organization to craft a global framework to address these issues remains to be seen.
WHO Board Plan For Fake Medicines Mechanism Excludes Trade And IP 28/01/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The World Health Organization Executive Board this week agreed to propose to the May World Health Assembly the establishment of a mechanism for international collaboration on counterfeit and substandard medical products, but with the exclusion of trade and intellectual property issues.
Officials, Industry Discuss IPR In Relation To Economy And Society 26/01/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Two top international organisations in Geneva are working to adapt to trends in global intellectual property systems with an eye toward contributing to a positive economic impact, officials told a private sector conference this week. But they heard a complex message about the role of IP in addressing public policy concerns.
Director Kazatchkine Resigns From The Global Fund 25/01/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The Executive Director of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, Michel Kazatchkine, announced that he would step down by 16 March in a letter published on the Fund’s website.
Subscriber Alert: WHO Board Considers Key Reform Paper 23/01/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Health Organization Executive Board today is being asked to approve a draft chair’s summary of this week’s Board discussions on the path to sweeping reform of the UN agency. But the document is unusual, according to some observers, in that it addresses major changes without being considered a negotiation or decision. [Update: this draft was approved by the Board with only the change of deadline for comments to 17 February.]
SOPA, Piracy, Pharmaceuticals May Dominate US IP Policy Discussions In 2012 23/01/2012 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Online piracy, patent reform and intellectual property issues relating to pharmaceuticals are among the top legislative and regulatory priorities for many stakeholder groups in the United States this year, but given that 2012 is an election year, chances are slim that Congress will push through anything that isn’t a top priority or that could cause too much partisan rancour.
Book Calls For Re-Casting Debate Over TRIPS And Medicines Access 20/01/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A recent book analyses the role of intellectual property protection in providing incentives for innovation and its impact on access to medicines by retracing the origins, content and interpretations of the World Trade Organization agreement on IP rights and trade. It concludes that the debate needs to be recast in order for all sides to benefit going forward.
WHO Board Considers Reform, Director Re-Election, Key IP-Related Issues 16/01/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The UN World Health Organization Executive Board opened its annual January meeting today with a substantive agenda of reform, election, and a variety of issues that touch on intellectual property rights, research and development and innovation. And with the organization in reform and funding straits in a rapidly changing world, the director general stressed the agency’s steadfast approach and role in addressing the increasing global inequality between rich and poor.
Johnson & Johnson Denies Patent Pool Licences For HIV Medicines For The Poor 12/01/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment In a move public health advocates say is likely to bring negative consequences for low-income patients with HIV and AIDS, as well as negative publicity for the company, Johnson & Johnson recently announced that it would not enter into negotiations with the Medicines Patent Pool for voluntary licences that would allow several of key treatments to be made in more affordable generic form in developing countries.
Most-Read IP-Watch Posts Of 2011 Tell Story Of International IP Policymaking 03/01/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The most-read Intellectual Property Watch stories of 2011 demonstrated the versatility and range of our readers from around the globe, from an intense focus on international and national copyright issues to bilateral and plurilateral free trade agreements, to issues in India and Brazil, patent laws, patents in agriculture, scientific knowledge, and of course, policies emerging in Geneva at the World Intellectual Property Organization, World Trade Organization, World Health Organization and elsewhere at the multilateral level. Most of all, they tell the story of the year gone by, with clear signals of what’s to come in 2012.