From Personality To Property: Data Protection Needs Competition & Consumer Protection Law, Conference Says 25/10/2016 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment MUNICH — Will personal data become a property right licensed to those who give you the best deal for it? Researchers at a conference convened by the Max Planck Institute for Innovation and Competition in Munich delved into a future “holistic approach” of intellectual property, data and consumer protection, with additional assistance from competition law.
Report: IP Rights, Corporate Interests Threaten Small Farmers’ Right To Seeds, Biodiversity 24/10/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A new report by civil society groups defending the right to food and nutrition lays bare threats to seeds and biodiversity created by intellectual property rights, and calls for states to respect their human right obligations to protect small farmers’ right to seeds and food security.
Citizens’ Summit Contra CETA: It’s Not Only Wallonia 20/10/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment With the vote on the European Union-Canada trade agreement (CETA) on the agenda once more at the upcoming EU Council meeting tomorrow the representatives of European and Canadian cities and regions gathered at Brussels today for a “CETA Citizens’ Summit.” Gerardo Pisarello, vice mayor of the city of Barcelona, said that cities like his see CETA as a barrier to their plans to remunicipalize water and energy services and the attempts “to open up public procurement to small companies and cooperatives.”
The Comments Are In On South African IP Framework; Action Seen In Early 2017 20/10/2016 by Linda Daniels for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The invitation by the South African Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to intellectual property stakeholders to comment on its recently released IP Consultative Framework has reignited calls for the department to come clean on the status of the national draft IP policy.
Nearly 100 Organisations Press For Better Medicines Access In Asian Region RCEP Agreement 19/10/2016 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Nearly 100 health, community and development organisations working in the Asia-Pacific region issued a call for trade ministers negotiating the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) trade agreement to “reject provisions that would negatively affect access to generic medicines.” Negotiators are meeting from 17-22 October in China, and the concern is about the intellectual property chapter of the deal.
55 Civil Society Groups Ask US Government To Allow Export Of Affordable Version Of Prostate Cancer Drug Xtandi 17/10/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A range of 55 civil society organisations from around the world today sent a letter asking the United States Department of Health and Human Services to accept an offer from a Canadian generics company, Biolyse Pharma, to manufacture and export high-priced cancer drug Xtandi to countries with a per capita income of less than one-third that of the United States.
FTC Recommends Legislative Fixes For Nuisance Patent Lawsuits But Some Question Study 17/10/2016 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment LONDON — Procedural and substantive legislative reforms are needed to keep nuisance patent infringement lawsuits at bay, the United States Federal Trade Commission said in an October report. The question is whether the size of the study on activities of “patent assertion entities” (PAEs) was large enough to prove there’s a problem, say some patent attorneys, including speakers at the 13-14 October London IP Summit.
Panel: WIPO Assistance Should Provide Developing Countries With Choices On Plant Variety Protection 17/10/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A side event to last week’s annual General Assemblies of the World Intellectual Property Organization looked at ways for developing countries to design sui generis system for protecting new varieties of plant. The event also looked into the technical assistance provided by WIPO, which, according to the groups, focuses only on the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) system.
Licensing, Choice And New Players: Keys To Fostering Local Film Production 17/10/2016 by Alexandra Nightingale for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Audiovisual producers at a side event to the recent World Intellectual Property Organization General Assemblies shared experiences and exchanged best practices in the use of copyright and related rights’ frameworks. Speakers said they seek an enabling environment, where makers of audiovisual works can achieve economic sustainability and contribute to local employment and growth through the creation and supply of local audiovisual works.
Industry Seeks Policy Change To Strengthen Protection for GIs, Country Names Online 14/10/2016 by Alexandra Nightingale for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Calls for the international community to promote and strengthen the protection of geographical indications and country names on the internet were made at the first side event of the annual General Assemblies of the World Intellectual Property Organization that ended last week.