Ahead Of WTO Summit In Nairobi, Kenya’s IP Laws Come Under Scrutiny 10/12/2015 by Fredrick Nzwili for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment NAIROBI, Kenya- Ahead of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Ministerial Summit in Nairobi, Kenya’s intellectual property laws are coming under scrutiny over what experts see as their inability to protect economic projects and inspire innovations.
Germany, Italy Leading Resistance To EU Ratification Of Marrakesh Treaty, Blind Union Says 10/12/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Two and a half years after an international treaty was adopted to facilitate access to special format literary works for blind and visually impaired people, the European Blind Union blames the failure of the European Union to ratify it as a failure to implement the right to read in the EU.
WIPO Copyright Committee Hears Case For Exceptions For Museums 10/12/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Museums usually gather heterogeneous objects, coming in various forms, and engage in different activities in relation to those objects. With the advance of information technologies, museums have to adapt and consider the digitisation of their collections, which brings copyright questions, according to a study presented yesterday at the World Intellectual Property Organization.
Report: Ebola Distracted Global R&D Funding For Neglected Diseases; Public Funding At Low 08/12/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A newly issued report provides the “first ever” picture of global investment in Ebola research and development. The report found that investment in Ebola might have come at the expense of other funding to develop drugs, vaccines and diagnostics for other neglected diseases. The report also found that public funding on research and development for neglected diseases was at its lowest in years.
No Future Work Programme For WIPO Patent Law Committee; Questions On Development Orientation 06/12/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Two days of informal consultations last week did not bring World Intellectual Property Organization members to agreement on a work programme for the next session of its committee on the law of patents. Developed and developing countries have different views on the work of the committee, with developing countries seeking work on patent on health, and limitations and exceptions to patent rights, while developed countries are more interested in work-sharing between patent offices and protecting the confidentiality of information between patent advisers and their clients.
Beyond The Good Old Patent System: Make Sure To Share, Innovator Recommends 06/12/2015 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The habit of patenting innovative products is being challenged by ever faster innovation cycles, the growing need for collaboration and co-invention, and what some classical patentees see as a “virus” of open source licensing. The tenth edition of the IP Summit, hosted in Berlin this year, heard some interesting stories from the smart home and smart car business.
Law Boosts Awareness, Patents From Research Institutions In South Africa 04/12/2015 by Munyaradzi Makoni for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment CAPE TOWN, South Africa — A law to regulate intellectual property derived from research and development conducted using public funds has boosted the number of patent applications filed and granted by universities and research institutions in the past five years.
IP Summit: Changes In Patent System, Intermediary Liability And The Future Of IP 04/12/2015 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The stretch run for Europe’s Unitary Patent System (UPS) again took centre stage at the Premier Cercle IP Summit 2015 in Berlin yesterday. Eyes are on Germany for the ratification of the UPS. Cornelia Rudloff-Schäffer, president of the German Patent Office, in the keynote speech assured the 300 hundred participants Germany was preparing for the new system and called out to industry to prepare for the change, saying: “Check your portfolio now.”
Speakers At WIPO Diverge On Patents-Access Relationship; Biologics A Challenge For Generics 03/12/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments A seminar on patents and availability of medicines in developing countries yesterday considered whether patents constitute a barrier to access. For the private sector, patents are essential to the innovation system, for others they maintain high prices and should be licensed for easier access. Beyond patents, biologics seem to be taking over the pharmaceutical industry, and the complexity of manufacturing biosimilars might well leave traditional generic manufacturers by the wayside. Separately, a side event at WIPO looked at IP management strategies in private-public partnerships in agriculture and health technologies.
New UNDP-Blind Union Report Helps Asia-Pacific Nations Ratify Marrakesh Treaty 03/12/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The United Nations Development Programme joined forces with the World Blind Union to prepare a new report aimed at facilitating Asia-Pacific countries’ ratification of a treaty designed to help visually-impaired people access special format books.