Broad Plan On IP, Innovation In Developing Countries Approved At WHO 22/05/2009 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Applause broke out at the annual World Health Assembly Friday as agreement was reached at the end of a five-year process to devise a plan for boosting research and development on and access to drugs needed by developing countries. Now with the full assembly’s approval, the focus will turn to implementation and as-yet unclear ways to pay for it.
WHO Members Near Deal On IP, Innovation And Public Health, With Key Question 21/05/2009 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Some five years after setting a mandate to address barriers faced by poor countries in accessing needed medicines, World Health Organization members are near agreement on a strategy and plan of action. But a key question remains on WHO involvement in a possible treaty on biomedical research and development for diseases disproportionately affecting developing nations, and the WHO secretariat is facing accusations that the process has not been amply inclusive.
UN Internet Governance Panel Urges Infrastructure, Education On Access To Knowledge 19/05/2009 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Access to knowledge is a future challenge and a key factor for social and economic development but a balance needs to be found between the interests of rights holders and those of the public, said speakers at a high panel on access to knowledge during the World Summit on the Information Society Forum on Monday.
Pandemic Flu A Top Focus Of Health Assembly, But IP Issues Unresolved 19/05/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment As the world looks to the World Health Assembly for a plan of action in case of pandemic, delegates are negotiating remaining parts of a framework for pandemic influenza preparedness, and an associated model agreement for the movement of virus and vaccine-related materials. A procedural agreement might come as early as Tuesday afternoon, but it remains to be seen whether agreement can be reached on how to handle uncompleted work.
Plainte contre un enseignant argentin : l’accès à l’éducation en question 18/05/2009 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Un professeur argentin de philosophie qui avait mis en ligne sur Internet des traductions en espagnol des travaux du philosophes français Jacques Derrida est actuellement poursuivi par la justice pour violation présumée des droits d’auteur, selon l’organisation Copy South Research Group. Cette affaire met en lumière les limitations qui découlent de l’application du droit d’auteur sur l’accès à l’éducation.
US Patent Reform Prospects Unclear; First-To-File Questioned 18/05/2009 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Patent reform may be chugging along in the United States Congress, but so far, with the Senate soon to be consumed with what could be a contentious Supreme Court nomination fight, and with President Obama still lacking a new director of the US Patent and Trademark Office, some are questioning whether reform will actually happen this year. In addition, a key “first-to-file” provision in the US bill to harmonise with other countries may be more appearance than substance.
Un caso sobre derechos de autor en Argentina pone en primer plano el acceso a la educación 18/05/2009 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments Se ha entablado una demanda contra un profesor argentino de filosofía por una presunta violación de derechos de autor ante la publicación de versiones traducidas de las obras del filósofo francés Jacques Derrida en una página web, según informó el Grupo de Investigación CopySouth. El caso atrajo la atención de la comunidad internacional hacia las limitaciones en el acceso a la educación como resultado de los derechos de autor.
WHO Members Fail To Finish Pandemic Flu Preparations 18/05/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A series of meetings intended to set out a global framework for dealing with a potential pandemic completed its last session Saturday night with progress made but several essential issues still uncompleted.
World Health Assembly Takes On R&D, Pandemics, Not Counterfeits 18/05/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The annual World Health Assembly kicks off Monday with key issues of intellectual property and public health on the agenda, but the plan to end the assembly early this year in the face of the pandemic influenza crisis has trimmed talks on counterfeit medicines from the meeting, according to official sources.
WHO Meeting On Pandemic Flu Reconvenes Under Pressure 15/05/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment As cases of swine flu in humans pile up and fears that a more serious outbreak could occur in the future, member states, drug manufacturers and public health advocates gather Friday and Saturday to see if they can come up with a way to facilitate sharing of both viruses and vaccine related materials. Intellectual property laws are a key point of contention at the reconvened meeting.