Is The European Unitary Patent System On Its Way To A Tepid Start? 17/07/2015 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment For nearly two decades, the European Union has pondered the completion of a unitary patent system (UP) and a Unitary Patent Court (UPC). But even after the European Court of Justice has ruled the UP/UPC agreement to be constitutional, users, including some big ones, remain cautious.
UNCTAD Official: Need For Policy Coherence In Local Pharmaceutical Production 17/07/2015 by Ani Mamikon for Intellectual Property Watch and Rishi Dhir for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Despite progress in recent years to boost local pharmaceutical production in developing countries, policy coherence across the countries is lacking, according to an official at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD).
Defendants, Non-Profits, Defensive Aggregators And Hedge Funds: Common And Less Common Uses Of Inter Partes Review 16/07/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Inter partes review (“IPR”) proceedings were originally intended to allow defendants in patent infringement lawsuits to invalidate questionable patents cheaply and quickly. But these proceedings increasingly are being used by parties that are not defendants in active litigation matters at all, write Rich Hung and Alex Hadduck.
A Geneva Look At Jurisdiction, Dispute Resolution And The Internet 15/07/2015 by Eimear Murphy for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A conference on jurisdiction and dispute resolution in the age of the internet raised topical issues of concern to internet-based public policy, such as the notion of how jurisdiction and internet governance is a question of power, and an update on the International Law Association guidelines project. In addition, a debate arose as to the state of the patent system.
Learning From Ebola 14/07/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment In 1976, Yambuku village school headmaster Mabalo Lokela felt sick when he returned from a trip to northern Zaire near the Central African Republic border. He had a high fever, diarrhea, and bleeding. Because he was initially believed to have malaria, Lokela was given quinine, but his symptoms got worse and he soon died. Shortly afterwards, those who had been in contact with Lokela also died. … Almost four decades later, there is still no cure for Ebola, despite the fact that drug development on average takes about a third of this time frame, write William Fisher and Quentin Palfrey.
Russian Government Designs New Strategy In Field Of IP 13/07/2015 by Eugene Gerden for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Russian government is crafting a new strategy in the field of intellectual property, which should strengthen the protection of IP rights in Russia and create conditions for the acceleration of the domestic research activities in the country, according to Dmitry Livanov of Russia’s Ministry of Science and Education.
Study Documents Public Domain’s Importance To Innovation And Creativity 10/07/2015 by Eimear Murphy for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments An academic research project on the value of the public domain has documented its importance to innovation and creativity. In one empirical study in the project, it was shown that use of the public domain boosts crowd-funding efforts by innovators. The study was discussed recently at the World Intellectual Property Organization.
EU Parliament Adopts Reda Report On Copyright Reform 09/07/2015 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The European Parliament during its last plenary meeting before the summer break today adopted a non-legislative report on copyright reform prepared by Pirate Party Member Julia Reda. The report calls for an adaptation of the EU 2001 Copyright Directive to the digital market.
3D Printing And Public Policy 09/07/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch 12 Comments John Hornick writes: Although legal principles apply to 3D printing the same as they apply to any other technology, 3D printing has the unique potential to upset the legal status quo. It is the potential scale of 3D printing that may have profound effects on the law. 3D printing cuts across many areas of law, most types of technology, and almost all types of products. Eventually, anyone may be able to make almost anything. No one else will know they made it or be able to control it, which I call 3D printing away from control.
Paper: Commons Approach To European Knowledge Policy Could Yield Better Outcomes 09/07/2015 by Ani Mamikon for Intellectual Property Watch and Rishi Dhir for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A new paper released earlier this month finds that the commons perspective, which embraces knowledge as a shared resource and its management a joint responsibility, could contribute to EU policy discussions and yield better policy outcomes in areas such as health, environment, science and culture, and the internet.