Cape Town Conference Highlights Innovation, IP And Public Interest 08/12/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA – Some 350 experts from around the world are gathering here this week to discuss intellectual property rights and innovation as they relate to the public interest.
Experts At WHO Select Eight Projects To Boost Medical R&D For Developing Countries 06/12/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments A group of experts summoned to select projects presenting innovative ways to foster research and development of medical products for diseases primarily affecting developing countries at the World Health Organization this week finished their work and selected eight projects out of 22. Civil society was quick to express concern that the selected projects do not propose a new way forward. Now WHO member states must narrow the list down further.
Pillay And Berners-Lee: Human Rights Must Always Be At Heart Of World Wide Web 05/12/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Navi Pillay today said at the outset of a meeting with World Wide Web inventor Tim Berners-Lee that human rights must always be at the heart of discussions about the Web, as it affects so many aspects of society.
IP-Watch Works To Open TPP Text; USTR Misses Response Deadline 04/12/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 6 Comments Intellectual Property Watch has been working to make more information public about US government involvement in the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement under negotiation with 11 other countries.
Critical Moment For Africa’s Small Farmers As ARIPO Decides On Plant Variety Protection 28/11/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Africa Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) this week was expected to consider a proposal to move toward a biotechnology-friendly future, but small farmers say the current proposal will damage their ability to exist in the those countries.
USTR Says Its TPP Proposal On IP And Public Health Shows Flexibility 28/11/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) yesterday issued a statement on the status of the Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement talks on intellectual property rights and public health, suggesting that it has put forward new ideas on the issue. The statement is worded to reflect that USTR has heard the concerns of other governments and of public health advocates, but it’s unclear if those groups will accept it.
Medical R&D Projects Proposed By WHO Regions Show Diversity 26/11/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The regions of the World Health Organization earlier this month submitted their proposals for projects to boost research and development of health technologies for diseases disproportionately affecting developing countries and lacking a market incentive. A shortlist of projects will be selected by a group of WHO-chosen experts at a 3-5 December meeting in Geneva.
A Question Of Balance In IP Rights In South Africa 21/11/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA – There are human rights issues with intellectual property, Mmboneni Muofhe, deputy director-general for international cooperation and resources at the South African Department of Science and Technology, said at an industry-driven conference here this week.
Capture, Sunlight, And The TPP Leak 14/11/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Margot Kaminski writes in Concurring Opinions: Yesterday, Wikileaks leaked the draft IP chapter of the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP). The US Trade Representative has shown the draft text to its closed advisory committees, but not to anybody else. Content industries and pharmaceutical industries sit on the IP advisory committee. Internet industries, smaller innovators, generics companies, and public interest groups do not. This is no accident. When Congress established the trade negotiating system, it exempted the Trade Representative from requirements of an open government law that was enacted to prevent agency capture.
Wikileaks’ Release Of TPP Chapter On IP Blows Open Secret Trade Negotiation 13/11/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 9 Comments For years, the United States and partner governments have worked vigorously to keep the publics they represent from knowing what they are negotiating behind closed doors in the top-secret Trans-Pacific Partnership trade agreement. But today’s Wikileaks release of the draft intellectual property chapter blew that up, confirming the fears of public interest groups that this is an agreement heavily weighted toward big industry interests.