North American Universities Seen Failing To Promote Socially Responsible Licensing 05/04/2013 by Rachel Marusak Hermann, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A student group is holding top research universities in the US and Canada accountable for how much they are – or are not – contributing to global public health. According to a recently released report by Universities Allied for Essential Medicines, a non-profit organisation, most institutions are falling short when it comes to investing in neglected diseases and promoting access to medicines.
African Regional Plant Variety Protection Draft Legislation Raises Protest 05/04/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A draft protocol for the protection of new varieties of plants proposed by an inter-governmental African regional economic community is provoking the ire of civil society concerned about the potential impact of the protocol on small farmers, and the lack of consultation of farmers.
Linguistic Diversity Essential For Innovation, Development, Roundtable Speakers Say 04/04/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Multilingualism not only expands cultural horizons but also provides a tool for innovation, speakers gathered at an international roundtable yesterday said. However, language uniformity is a tempting road taken by many – often for cost-related reasons – while multilingualism should be promoted as a factor in development, they said.
Novartis Loses Patent Bid: Lessons From India’s 3(d) Experience 01/04/2013 by Patralekha Chatterjee for Intellectual Property Watch 15 Comments New Delhi – On 1 April, in a packed room in India’s Supreme Court, two judges – Justice Aftab Alam and Justice Ranjana Desai – delivered a verdict that has the potential to dramatically change the national and global conversation about patents and patients.
UPOV 1991 Will Adversely Impact Farmers In Tanzania, Civil Society And Farmers Say 25/03/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Tanzania is on the road to becoming a member of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV), but Tanzanian civil society and farmers’ organisations have warned about possible detrimental effects on small-holder farmers and have asked government to halt the ratification process until all stakeholders have been consulted.
South Africa: Trampling Tradition – A Call For Support 25/03/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment On 5 March, the Shadow Minister of Trade and Industry, Dr Wilmot James, submitted a Private Members’ Bill to the Office of the Speaker entitled the Protection of Traditional Knowledge Bill – a new traditional knowledge bill that would supplant the one recently sent back by the president of South Africa, Cobus Jooste writes.
US Supreme Court To Hear Arguments On Pay-For-Delay Drug Deals 23/03/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The United States Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments on Monday in a case in which the US Federal Trade Commission is questioning payments made by brand name pharmaceutical companies to generic producers for delayed entry into the market of lower priced generics.
European Commission VP Kroes Urges Open Internet, Prods Copyright Owners 21/03/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Neelie Kroes, European Commission vice-president responsible for the digital agenda, today told a parliamentary committee that choices of copyrighted content, cloud computing, internet freedom, and cybersecurity are key to European values and its economy.
European Court Upholds Confidentiality In International Treaty Talks 20/03/2013 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Second Chamber of the European General Court in a judgment today strengthened confidentiality rules in international treaty negotiations.
UN Agencies To Examine International Standards, Potential Value For Developing Countries 18/03/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Five United Nations agencies are joining efforts to tackle the rising issue of private standards which they say are affecting developing countries’ exports by creating market entry hurdles for those countries. A new forum will be launched this week, and will establish its priority issues.