Video Available Of Event On Standards-Essential Patents 03/12/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Washington Legal Foundation held an event on 29 November entitled, “Standards-Essential Patents: Where Do IP Protections End and Antitrust Concerns Begin?” The video of the event has been made publicly available.
US Isolated In Opposition To WIPO Treaty For The Blind, Group Says 03/12/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The United States now stands alone in its opposition to a World Intellectual Property Organization treaty on copyright exceptions for blind and and other print-disabled readers, the World Blind Union (WBU) said today.
WIPO, EPO Leaders At OECD: Adjust The Patent System For The Globalised, Knowledge-Based Society 30/11/2012 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The international intellectual property rights system must urgently make headway toward an easier-to-use, globally agreed upon, inclusive and effective architecture, a high-level panel of IP policy leaders said on 29 November.
WHO Members Agree On “Strategic Work Plan” On Health R&D – But No Convention 29/11/2012 by Rachel Marusak Hermann, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments After three days and two nights of tough negotiations to address the global gap in research and development for neglected diseases at the World Health Organization, member states agreed to endorse a strategic work plan that includes proposals on the coordination, financing, and monitoring of R&D expenditures separately, but not to advance the idea of an overarching framework. The recommendation for a global R&D convention proved divisive to the very end of the negotiations.
WHO Negotiations To Address Medical R&D Global Gaps Head Deep Into Night 29/11/2012 by Rachel Marusak Hermann, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Negotiations on the follow-up of the report of the expert group on research and development for neglected diseases tonight were continuing in a late-night session at the World Health Organization. At press time, member states were discussing options to address the research coordination, financing, and monitoring of medical R&D expenditures for the health needs of developing countries.
Reshaping The International Copyright System To Facilitate Education In Developing Countries 28/11/2012 by Tiphaine Nunzia Caulier for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment International copyright flexibilities are ill-suited to the need of developing countries to create effective access to printed materials in schools, a new book argues. The author, whose work was presented last week at the World Intellectual Property Organization, urges a normative and institutional rethinking of the current system.
Fast-Tracking Green Patents Reduces Wait Time, Appeals To Start-Ups, Study Finds 28/11/2012 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Several countries have established fast-track programmes to expedite the examination of environmentally oriented, or “green,” patents. Preliminary findings from a study assessing the success of those programmes were presented last week to Geneva intellectual property professionals.
International Instrument On Medical R&D Still On Negotiating Table At WHO 28/11/2012 by Rachel Marusak Hermann, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment World Health Organization member states gathering this week at the WHO headquarters in a meeting to address global gaps in the drug development system said that there is still much work to be done before consensus can be reached on a resolution. For now, the latest draft resolution keeps a wide range of monitoring, coordinating, and financing options on the table, not yet setting a clear direction.
Event This Week: The Creation Of Unitary Patent Protection In The European Union 27/11/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Creation of Unitary Patent Protection in the European Union Paris, 29-30 November 2012 Maison de la Recherche 54, rue de Varenne 75007 Paris Find here (http://bit.ly/Vbb2CB) more information about the conference. After more than 30 years of negotiations, 25 of 27 Member States reached a conclusion on the future Unitary Patent System. The central aim of the two draft Regulations on the creation of unitary patent protection and on the applicable translation arrangements is to reduce the costs of patent protection and translation fees in the EU. The European Council on 28-29 June 2012 agreed to split the seat of the EU Patent Court between Paris, London and Munich. The Council’s suggestion to delete Articles 6-8 of the draft Regulation on the creation of the unitary patent provoked strong criticism in the European Parliament which postponed the vote on the proposal scheduled for 4 July 2012. A conference organised by the Academy of European Law (ERA) in cooperation with Queen Mary University of London in Paris on 29-30 November 2012 will offer a platform for discussion on the latest proposals which are now being discussed within the European Parliament.
UNITAID: Alternative Funding Mechanism For AIDS Drugs Saving Lives 27/11/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment UNITAID, an alternative funding mechanism for pharmaceuticals to the poor, said today that its work has helped develop new ways to treat children infected with HIV where there was previously little commercial incentive. The statement alongside the World AIDS Day announcement that the number of newly infected children continues to decline. UNITAID called for the international community to help children already living with the disease.