G8 Summit Strengthens IP Protection; May Undercut Compulsory Licensing 07/06/2007 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch, and Tove Gerhardsen The strengthening of intellectual property rights protection in “a new dialogue” between Group of 8 and emerging economies moderated by the Organisation of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) and the possible establishment of an “IPR Task Force focussing on anti-counterfeiting and piracy” are among decisions […]
EU Urged To Back Poor Countries’ Use Of TRIPS Flexibilities 06/06/2007 by David Cronin for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By David Cronin for Intellectual Property Watch BRUSSELS – The European Union should stop demanding that poor countries apply its intellectual property rules to medicines through trade negotiations with the African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) bloc, legal experts argued at a 4 June event here. The EU’s executive arm, the European Commission, is hoping to […]
Case Could Signal Weakening Of Digital Rights Management In Europe 04/06/2007 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch A ruling by the Helsinki, Finland, District Court could have far-reaching implications for the use of technical protection measures (TPMs) in Europe, according to legal experts. The 25 May decision held that the Content Scrambling System (CSS) now used in DVD movies is “ineffective” as the term is […]
Bush Administration Pushes For Stronger Copyright Protection, Enforcement 22/05/2007 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch The United States government and the US creative industries last week signalled a new crackdown on intellectual property (IP) infringement at home and abroad. In a flurry of activity, the Bush administration proposed unprecedented changes to copyright enforcement laws, key entertainment industry groups and companies partnered to fight […]
WHO Head Expresses Commitment To Strengthen IP Working Group 20/05/2007 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen World Health Organization Director General Margaret Chan this week made a firm commitment to strengthen an intergovernmental working group on innovation and access to treatments that for the past year has struggled to find its focus, sources said. With a new proposal from Brazil focusing on what WHO can do […]
US To Loosen Drug Patent Provisions In Some Trade Deals 17/05/2007 by Martin Vaughan for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Martin Vaughan for Intellectual Property Watch WASHINGTON – The White House has agreed to loosen restrictions on clinical test data and patent safeguards for pharmaceuticals in bilateral trade agreements between the United States and Peru, Panama, and Colombia as part of a broader agreement with congressional Democrats to spur progress on the Bush administration […]
Health Assembly Tackles Proposals On Avian Flu Virus Sharing 16/05/2007 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen Early in the 2007 World Health Assembly, the focus has moved to avian flu virus sample sharing for the development of treatments and access by both developed and developing countries. A drafting group started work on combining various proposals, including new drafts from the United States and an Indonesia-led group […]
US Investigators In Geneva To Review US Balance On IP, Public Health 03/05/2007 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen A team from the independent investigative arm of the United States Congress visited Geneva last week, interviewing insiders from the private sector, non-governmental and international organisations including the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding how the United States is balancing public health, intellectual property and market access, sources said. The visit […]
USTR Toughens IP Stance On China, Russia, Thailand; Praises EU, Brazil 30/04/2007 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By William New The United States Trade Representative’s office on 30 April announced the elevation of its pressure on China, Russia, Thailand, and others to better protect US intellectual property rights. But the announcement stirred reactions by accentuating the increasingly political-sounding criticism by developed countries of Thailand’s decision to utilise flexibilities under international trade rules […]
IP Enforcement Directive Clears EU Parliament But Opposition Remains 26/04/2007 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch A European Commission proposal to criminalise intentional, for-profit intellectual property counterfeiting and piracy won backing from the European Parliament on 25 April. The 374-278 first-reading vote on an amended version of the IP enforcement rights directive, known as IPRED2, followed months of controversy and heavy lobbying which show […]