Panel: Help Needed With IP Implications Of Nagoya Protocol On Genetic Resources 07/03/2011 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The new international agreement on access and benefit-sharing of genetic resources has many IP implications, according to panellists at an event last week. And at least one United Nations agency is launching an effort to help countries with those IP implications.
WIPO Draft Treaty Text On Genetic Resources Joins Folklore, Traditional Knowledge 04/03/2011 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Country experts this week took up the challenge of doing the groundwork for negotiations towards a treaty on the protection of genetic resources at the World Intellectual Property Organization. Breaking uncharacteristically early on the final day today, the experts’ work delivered a set of options reflecting all points of views for negotiators to work from.
Draft WIPO Instrument On Genetic Resources Shows Lists Of Options 04/03/2011 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A new draft document was issued yesterday by a drafting group of experts at the World Intellectual Property Organization. The drafting group was in charge of cleaning up a text with aspirations to become a draft international instrument on the protection of genetic resources, and added a number of options for a possible treaty.
Genetics Company Myriad May Shift From Patents To Proprietary Data 03/03/2011 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments Myriad Genetics, a United States-based biotechnology company with exclusive patent rights over a key breast cancer diagnostic test in the US, may shift its patent strategy from its inventions to protecting its data in the face of drawn out litigation and upcoming competition, an industry journal has reported.
Group Discussion Deepens Over WHO Role In Stopping Poor Quality Medicines 01/03/2011 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The role of the World Health Organization in the safety, quality and efficacy of medical products is under scrutiny this week by member states and stakeholders. In particular, the focus is on the WHO’s role in the prevention and control of medical products of compromised quality, the organisation’s relationship with the international taskforce against counterfeit products, and the taskforce’s alleged focus on the protection of intellectual property rights rather than on public health issues. In several documents, the WHO tries to explain this fragile role.
Debate Rises Over Elevating Profile Of Genetic Resources At WIPO 01/03/2011 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Experts discussing the protection of genetic resources at the World Intellectual Property Organization this week are struggling to stay within their technical mandate as the issues carry significant political impact. Discussions today resulted in a marked-up text on objectives and principles of a possible international instrument that reveals key differences among members on the role of IP, and of WIPO, in genetic resources.
Are The Stars Aligned For US Patent Reform This Year? 01/03/2011 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment In a week in which the United States Congress is fighting to avoid a government shutdown over budget disagreements and political posturing is high, technocrats and friends of innovative businesses are working to get passage of a bill to reform US patent law.
WHO, WTO, WIPO Combine Forces To Improve Patent Information For Public Health 18/02/2011 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Patents and public health are sometimes seen as a mismatch, but three prominent international organisations today stepped up their collaboration on ways to facilitate access to medicines by making a better use of the patent system. Effective, reliable and transparent information on patents is necessary to help decision-makers take the best public health approaches for global health coverage, panellists said.
Brazil And The Defence Of Public Health: Do As I Say, Not As I Do 17/02/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments A recent decision issued by Advocacia-Geral da União (Advocacy-General of the Union) restricts the role performed by Anvisa – the National Agency for Health Surveillance – in examining pharmaceutical patent applications. This may represent a huge setback for commitments made by Brazilian government related to the protection of public health, writes Felipe Carvalho.
Economist: Breadth Of Patent Portfolio Better Than Betting On One Winner 11/02/2011 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Determining the value of patented inventions is akin to a guessing game, said a speaker at the World Intellectual Property Organization yesterday. Companies should try to spread their patents over related technological innovations rather focusing on one patent, hoping it will be “the philosopher’s stone”.