Providing Equal Public Access To ICTs To Bridge The Digital Divide 18/06/2014 by Joséphine De Ruyck for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment While the last decade has been characterised by an explosion in the availability of information and communication technologies (ICTs), in 2014 the digital divide still exists and 4 billion people are not yet connected to the internet, especially those from the developing world. In order to achieve digital inclusion for all, speakers on a recent panel called for support for equal public access to ICTs notably through public libraries and other community centres.
New Report Pinpoints Challenges To Open, Sustainable Internet For All 13/06/2014 by Joséphine De Ruyck for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment While in 2015 nearly 3 billion internet users will be connected across the world, their experiences once they are online will vary considerably according to their country. To find ways to bring everyone up to the same speed and have the same user experience, worldwide remedies were discussed at the occasion of the launch of the Global Internet Report 2014 – “Open and Sustainable Access for All.”
Looking Forward To Inclusion, 10 Years After World Summit On Information Society 12/06/2014 by Maëli Astruc for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment This week, governments and stakeholders have been taking stock nearly 10 years after 2005 UN-led World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS), and working to set new goals for the future. One thing seems clear: a full information society has not been achieved yet, and these issues may form part of the post-2015 development agenda at the UN.
New Multistakeholder Initiative: “My Data Belongs To Me” 12/06/2014 by Julia Fraser for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments A new initiative by the World Summit Award (WSA) initiative seeks to use its global multistakeholder network to push forward personal data ownership and big data issues at UN discussions. At an open discussion, the WSA invited participants to share views on issues with the current system of data use, the need for permission-based access, and steps for further action.
Small Farmers’ Rights Sidelined In Uganda’s Plant Breeding Regulation 12/06/2014 by Hillary Muheebwa for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment In a country with over 35 million people, Uganda’s economy is based on agriculture. Over 80 percent of the country’s workforce is employed in the sector, contributing up to 23 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
UN Advisor Denounces Junk Food As ‘Culprit’ In Rising NCDs, Calls For Change 11/06/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Governments must assert the human right to health and take action against the massive rise in obesity globally, brought about by the widespread availability and pervasive marketing of unhealthy “junk” foods, Anand Grover, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to health, urged today.
Panels Highlight Community Participation In Development Of Technologies 11/06/2014 by Joséphine De Ruyck for Intellectual Property Watch and Maëli Astruc for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment LAUSANNE – Community-driven innovation and technologies could be a solution for developing essential technologies to achieve sustainable development, according to a range of expert panels at a recent event. And in some cases, they already are.
African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI) Joins UPOV 11/06/2014 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The Geneva-based Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) announced yesterday that the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI) became its seventy-second member.
Access To Vaccines, Patents Growing Concerns, Panellists Say 10/06/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment LYON, France – At the Biovision life science forum looking into translating innovation into health-related solutions last week, a panel of speakers shared their experience about the global access to vaccines. Although vaccination coverage is on the rise and intellectual property has not been a major concern in the past decade for vaccines, patents may well become a barrier in the future, panellists said.
Less Than Half The World Has Internet Access; Barriers, Disincentives Appearing, ISOC Finds 09/06/2014 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The internet is expected to reach 3 billion people globally next year, but “much development work still remains to bring the economic and social benefits of the internet to all people and to make sure everyone has quality access” Kathy Brown, president and CEO of the Internet Society (ISOC), said on today’s release of ISOC’s first annual report on the state of the internet.