Myriad Case Decided: Natural Human Genes Not Patentable In US 14/06/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The United States Supreme Court came to a decision yesterday on the case of Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics, Inc., striking down Myriad’s patent on isolating human genes from the bloodstream.
Test Of Political Flexibility In Final Lap For WIPO Treaty For The Blind 14/06/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments Starting next week, Marrakesh, Morocco, will be the site of a two-week high level conference expected to yield a treaty facilitating the international access to books for blind and visually impaired people. Stakes are high, not only for the beneficiaries, but also for the industry worried that the copyright system might be endangered by the new treaty, introducing limitations to copyright.
To What Extent Can Global IP Rules Be Responsive To Public Interest Demands? The Case Of The Treaty For The Visually Impaired 14/06/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment To what extent can global intellectual property rules address in an effective manner the needs of the most vulnerable members of society? This is the key question with which member states of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) are faced as they prepare to meet next week for a diplomatic conference, in Marrakesh, that should result in the adoption of a treaty to facilitate access to copyrighted works by visually impaired persons and persons with print disabilities.
UN Human Rights Council Adopts Resolution Promoting Medicines Access 13/06/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The United Nations Human Rights Council today adopted a resolution urging governments to encourage technology development and transfer and to apply intellectual property rights measures in ways that avoid creating barriers to trade in “affordable, safe, efficacious and quality medicines.” The resolution includes references to IP flexibilities in international trade law and to “delinkage” of R&D costs with the price of health products.
LDCs Obtain New Waiver On IP Obligations At WTO, Take It As A Limited Victory 12/06/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments World Trade Organization members this week agreed to give least-developed countries an extra eight years to implement international intellectual property protection rules. The decision received a broad support among countries, with some voicing reservations about the negotiation process.
Mass Surveillance No Surprise To Many In Technology And Politics 12/06/2013 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Revelations about boundless spying by the National Security Agency and other US agencies on the electronic communications of US and non-US citizens are rippling international politics and will be a surprise topic at the upcoming Group of 8 summit in Dublin. But the more savvy technical community has been slow to react. There is some speculation about the technical solutions used and even less call for action. For many, quite obviously, the state surveillance does come as a surprise at least because of its scope.
WTO Members Agree On Draft Extension Of TRIPS Transition For LDCs 07/06/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments World Trade Organization members today reached a draft decision on a request put forward by least-developed countries to extend the period during which they do not have to comply with international rules of intellectual property rights protection, according to sources. Under the terms of the hard-fought decision, LDCs can benefit from an extension of eight more years.
EU Court Backs Secrecy, Privileged Industry Access In Trade Talks 07/06/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Secrecy in trade negotiations and privileged access for business and trade associations does not violate EU law, according to a judgment handed in by the Court of the European Union in Luxembourg today.
Author Cites Persistent Tobacco Industry Attempts To Influence WHO 05/06/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Thirteen years after publication of the landmark report, “Tobacco Company Strategies to Undermine Tobacco Control Activities at the World Health Organization,” little has changed and industry manipulations continue, one of the lead authors has said.
Data From Clinical Trials Identify Gaps In Health R&D 05/06/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Lower-income countries receive much less attention in terms of clinical trial research, according to a study published in this month’s World Health Organization (WHO) Bulletin. The study also underscored the value and importance the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) provides as a resource for evaluating the distribution of clinical trials around the world, and for providing information for future policy on health R&D.