UN General Assembly Adopts Resolution On Privacy And Surveillance 08/01/2014 by Intellectual Property Watch, Intellectual Property Watch 7 Comments On 18 December, the United Nations General Assembly adopted by consensus Resolution A/RES/68/167, The right to privacy in the digital age (see page 139 of document A/68/456/Add.2). This Resolution was initially introduced by Brazil and Germany and was subsequently supported by other countries.
Academics, Authors Worldwide Start 2014 Strongly Against Surveillance 06/01/2014 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments More than 250 academics from around the world have signed a declaration strongly calling for a stop to surveillance of citizens’ communications online by US and European authorities. And in December, more than 500 top authors joined a coalition called Writers against Mass Surveillance calling for international rules to curb wholesale surveillance.
Global Congress On IP And Public Interest Adopts Principles For Negotiations 06/01/2014 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A recent conference on intellectual property and the public interest concluded with the adoption of public interest principles to guide international trade negotiations and international organisations.
EU Parliament Committee Receives Recommendations On Surveillance 19/12/2013 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The European Parliament Committee on Civil Liberties, Justice and Home Affairs today received an oral summary of the draft recommendations on mass surveillance, after hearing the testimony of former Guardian reporter Glenn Greenwald.
Developing Countries Lack Capacity To Take Advantage Of Marrakesh Treaty 18/12/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 7 Comments The 2013 Marrakesh Treaty has been applauded by beneficiaries throughout the world for answering the need for wider access to special format works for visually impaired people. However, the path to its implementation, even after it is ratified by enough countries, appears to be strewn with difficulties in developing countries, which will need capacity-building, according to a speaker at a discussion panel organised by the World Intellectual Property Organization.
US Intelligence Committee Chair To EU Parliament: NSA Necessary To Jointly Fight China 17/12/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Mike Rogers, chairman of the US House of Representatives Intelligence Committee, today defended the work of the National Security Agency and other intelligence agencies in the US at a meeting with members of the European Parliament, and called for a united front against the theft of intellectual property by China.
Swiss Group Finds Patent-Related Ethical Violations By Pharma Overseas 17/12/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The Berne Declaration, a Swiss non-profit, has released results of investigations that found industry-sponsored offshore clinical drug trials in developing countries involve “multiple ethical violations,” a problem increased by the patent-based industry business model.
The EU-Thailand FTA: What Fate For Access To Medicines? 12/12/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Following the public outcry over the EU’s demands for stringent intellectual property rules that would dramatically raise medicines prices in India, you would expect the EU to think twice about making similar demands in future trade agreements, particularly with low- and middle-income countries. Yet, this is precisely what is going on now in the negotiations for a free trade agreement between the EU and Thailand, writes Tessel Mellema.
Concerns Raised To Global Fund Over Panel On Tiered Medicines Pricing 10/12/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA – Public groups this week urged Mark Dybul, head of the Geneva-based Global Fund for HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria, to reconsider the establishment of a panel to look at tiered pricing for middle income countries, potentially allowing companies to charge them higher prices. And separately, activists reported on progress in South Africa’s HIV strategy.
IPRs An Issue In Latest HIV Treatment Monitoring Test, Group Says 10/12/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA – Intellectual property rights represent a hurdle to lower-priced, high quality tests of HIV treatment monitoring in developing countries, public health group Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF, Doctors without Borders) said today.