Negotiators, Stakeholders Tell Tale Of WIPO Marrakesh Treaty Negotiation, Look To Implementation 20/09/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Several negotiators and other stakeholders participating in last June’s successful negotiation of an international treaty to ease access to reading material for blind and visually impaired people recently gathered in Washington, DC to look back on the remarkable and at-times bitter talks. Months later, not all agree on certain historical details, such as the US position, but all agree it was a significant accomplishment.
Meeting Highlights Use Of Open Data In Science, Health And Sustainable Development 18/09/2013 by Alessandro Marongiu for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment At the end of a two-day conference in Switzerland, open knowledge experts emphasised the role of open data in strengthening science findings’ credibility, fostering medical research and enhancing sustainable development.
Stop Treating Symptoms And Start Curing Diseases: The End Of Graduated Response 18/09/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Rene Summer writes: The debate about copyright enforcement – whether rights holders’ unshakable conviction in the effectiveness of graduated responses is rational – has reached a watershed. This is not to say that there aren’t any ongoing, well-funded lobby campaigns around the world aimed at convincing policy makers to revert to the practice of some form of graduated response. Nor am I saying that there aren’t any other important considerations, such as the rights of citizens and intermediaries, to be weighted in when debating copyright enforcement, lessening the case for such practices. Rather, what I am saying is that arguing for graduated responses can no longer be done on efficiency grounds without at the same time being intellectually dishonest.
Paper Looks At Human Rights Side Of IP And Medicines Access 17/09/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A new report released by the Yale Global Health Justice Partnership looks at the use of human rights to improve access to medicines by reducing the barriers that intellectual property laws create to such access.
Open Knowledge In The Spotlight This Week In Geneva 16/09/2013 by Alessandro Marongiu for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Experts from all over the world are gathered this week in Switzerland to discuss open data initiatives, trends and future developments in the context of the 2013 Open Knowledge Conference, an annual event organised by the Open Knowledge Foundation.
Paper Finds Little Success In ‘Three-Strikes’ IP Enforcement Programmes 10/09/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A new paper by an Australian academic assesses the “graduated response” programmes set up in recent years to enforce copyrights online through escalating penalties for repeat offences, finding little benefit from the programmes.
WHO Now Charging Fees For Drug Prequalification, Raising Access Fears 10/09/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The World Health Organization, the United Nations health agency in persistent financial straits, has announced it must begin charging a fee to manufacturers seeking prequalification of their vaccines and diagnostics. The announcement stirred concern among public health advocates that it might have a negative effect for procurement and access to life-saving medicines.
COHRED Publishes Guidance For Negotiating Fair Research Contracts, Including IPRs 06/09/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Geneva-based Council on Health Research for Development (COHRED) recently published a “guidance resource for the negotiation of fair research contracts in collaborative research partnerships.” The guide includes several basic considerations on intellectual property rights for contract negotiators.
UN Experts To UK: National Security Concerns Must Never Justify Intimidating Journalists 04/09/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment United Nations independent experts on freedom of expression and on human rights and counter-terrorism today announced that they have requested information from the United Kingdom government on the recent detention of David Miranda, partner of the Guardian journalist Glenn Greenwald at Heathrow Airport, London, and the reported destruction of computer hard drives by British officials at the Guardian newspaper.
WIPO Forum Presents Four “Game-Changers” In Innovation 03/09/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization later this month will hold a forum on innovation featuring four “world-renowned pioneers from the fields of medicine, architecture and industrial design,” as a way to bring common insights to intellectual property policymakers and stakeholders working to achieve a “balanced, inclusive” IP system.