At re:publica 2017, Strategy Of ‘The Facebook Empire’ Revealed By Patents 09/05/2017 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment In a talk at the re:publica 2017 in Berlin this week, academics from the Share Lab Project presented how they relied on an unusual resource to get a measure of the algorithms of Facebook. By reading through a part of the 8000 patents registered by the company, the researchers were able to shed some light into the process of how the “Empire” turns the raw data they treat their users as into those valuable big data golden profiles that then can be marketed.
Paper: National Laws, UPOV, Should Be Revised To Ensure Farmers Rights 05/05/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The right of farmers to use, exchange and sell farm-saved seeds should be ensured through national laws and a revision of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV), so the objectives of another United Nations international treaty on plant genetic resources can be fulfilled, a recent research paper states.
WHO Members Urged To Support Resolution Delinking Cancer Drug Prices From R&D Costs 04/05/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 6 Comments A group of civil society organisations and health experts have sent a letter to delegates to this month’s annual World Health Assembly urging support for a study on the delinkage of the costs of research and development from the prices of cancer medicines. Member states reportedly met on the issue today and are still undecided.
US Government Intends To Grant Exclusive Licence On Zika Patent Over Objection Of Civil Society 26/04/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The United States Department of Defense has announced that it intends to grant Sanofi Pasteur, a French pharmaceutical corporation, exclusive rights to develop a vaccine for the Zika virus. The decision follows outcry from the public and civil society groups over concerns of affordability and accessibility in taking such a step.
Privacy-Related Worries Are Keeping Users From Using E-Commerce, Survey At UNCTAD Finds 25/04/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments A global survey on internet security and trust found users are worried about privacy, and in particularly wary of cybercriminals, internet companies, and governments. This lack of trust is hurting the potential of electronic commerce, the survey revealed.
QUNO Briefs: Food Security Needs Farmers In Global Discussions, Agricultural Biodiversity 21/04/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The participation of small-scale farmers at the table of international negotiations and the protection of agricultural biodiversity are key to food security, according to the Quaker United Nations Office, which published last month two policy briefs with a list of recommendations.
African Civil Society, Farmers Demand ARIPO Lift Blackout On Protocol Protecting Plant Varieties 20/04/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Civil society and farmers allege communication blackout from by the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) about a protocol protecting new plant varieties. The 2015 protocol was highly criticised by those organisations as endangering traditional practices of African farmers. Draft regulations could not be adopted in December, but the regional organisation, according to the civil society and farmer groups, is keeping the outcome of the December meeting secret.
Civil Society-Led Monsanto Tribunal Finds Agro-Giant Guilty On All Counts 19/04/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment An international civil society tribunal has found that agro-business multinational Monsanto conducts activities that violate basic human rights. The five international judges of the Monsanto Tribunal presented their condemning verdict yesterday.
Revocation Of Broadband Rules Ossifying Poor Privacy Practices, Experts Say 05/04/2017 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment CHICAGO, Illinois – US President Trump Monday signed the repeal of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) broadband privacy rules passed by both houses of Congress in March. The decision by Congress and the new administration to smash the FCC broadband privacy rules, data security and security breach notification obligations do not bode well for internet users who want to have a say with regard to their confidentiality, according to a range of tech experts.
Public-Private Coalition’s High-Profile Delinkage Policy For Emerging Vaccines 04/04/2017 by Tatum Anderson for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment It’s early February in Tchaourou district, Borgou in Benin, and a pregnant woman is admitted to hospital. Her premature baby is born by caesarean section but she dies a day later on February 12th. It turns out she had Lassa fever, a deadly viral haemorrhagic disease. But that’s only discovered after the baby is discharged from hospital and taken to northern Togo. The newborn also becomes ill and is taken to hospital for treatment.