Survey: US Health Agency Should Use Patent Rights To Keep Drugs Affordable 29/08/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments A new survey supports the argument of public health advocates that pharmaceuticals resulting from government-funded research in the United States should be no more expensive than in other similar countries, and that patent rights should be used to make it so.
Library Group Publishes User Guide To WIPO Marrakesh Treaty 27/08/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The Library Copyright Alliance (LCA) has released a user guide to the recently adopted “Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled.” LCA is an organisation representing three major North American library associations.
Interviews: What Protection Of Traditional Knowledge Means To Indigenous Peoples 20/08/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 7 Comments World Intellectual Property Organization member states in July concluded the biennium work of the committee tasked with finding agreement on international legal tools to prevent misappropriation and misuse of genetic resources, traditional knowledge and folklore. Indigenous peoples and local communities are holders of a substantial part of this knowledge and are demanding that it be protected against misappropriation but also against its use without their consent. Intellectual Property Watch recently conducted two interviews on the issue with different indigenous groups.
Copyright Groups Question Fair Use In Australian Copyright Reform 06/08/2013 by Alessandro Marongiu for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Among hundreds of comments in the context of an ongoing Australian inquiry on copyright exceptions in the digital economy, organisations representing the interests of creative industries cast doubt on the inclusion of a fair use exception in Australian copyright law.
Reactions To Treaty On Plant Genetic Resources For Food And Agriculture 02/08/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) has been the subject of various comments this week.
What Does WTO Extension For LDCs To Enforce IP Mean For Pharmaceuticals? 02/08/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The recent extension granted by World Trade Organization members to least developed countries giving 8 more years to implement international intellectual property protection rules threw a shroud of confusion over a parallel WTO waiver for pharmaceutical products conferred on least developed countries until 2016. In an attempt to shed some light on the issue, several experts were asked for their reflections on the consequences of the new extension.
ECOSOC Tackles HIV/AIDS, NCDs, Science/Tech For Development 23/07/2013 by Brittany Ngo for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) yesterday took action on reports pertaining to HIV/AIDS, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), and science and technology for development.
Report Seeks To Advance Discussions On Shared Traditional Knowledge 22/07/2013 by Alessandro Marongiu for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A new report from the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) proposes solutions to advancing the global debate on the protection of traditional knowledge shared among different indigenous communities.
Push For “March-In Rights” To Prevent Myriad From Asserting Patents On Cancer Test 22/07/2013 by Brittany Ngo for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Despite last month’s United States Supreme Court decision on a case involving Myriad Genetics, which struck down some of Myriad’s patents related to human genes, Myriad has filed infringement suits against two companies that had announced they would begin offering lower-cost tests for the breast cancer genes in question.
WIPO Surveys Members On Its Services Provided To Traditional Knowledge Committee 17/07/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Internal Audit and Oversight Division (IAOD) of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) is conducting an evaluation of the service provided by the WIPO secretariat in support of the committee on traditional knowledge and related issues.