WIPO Committee On Development Solves Two Standing Issues, Breaks Cycle Of Disagreement 15/11/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments After months of repeated difficulties in WIPO committees plagued by stalled decisions or inability to agree on future work, the World Intellectual Property Organization Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP) appears to have turned the odds and managed to agree on two longstanding issues.
WHO Influenza Preparedness Report Shows Companies Not Fulfilling Obligations 14/11/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Health Organization Pandemic Influenza Preparedness (PIP) Framework is at risk due to some companies not fulfilling their obligations, a new WHO report says.
WHO In Race To Find Promising Ebola Treatments As Many Products Ruled Out 14/11/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Proposals for products to help fight Ebola are coming in to the World Health Organization, but few look promising so far, an official said today. Meanwhile, efforts are on to establish testing sites for potential products, and thinking is still in the early stages on intellectual property rights for new drugs in development.
WIPO’s Assistance To Developing Countries: Taking Forward The Unfinished Reform Agenda 13/11/2014 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Dr. Carolyn Deere Birkbeck writes: At this week’s Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP), WIPO Member States continue to debate next steps on the unprecedented 2011 External Review of WIPO’s assistance to developing countries. With a new Deputy Director General for the WIPO’s Development Sector due to start work this December, the prospect of new leadership also marks a time for Members to provide clear direction. They should act this week and in the coming months to set clear priorities for the Secretariat – and for themselves – that would give greater focus to the ongoing work of improving WIPO’s development cooperation activities, and to establish a mechanism for monitoring progress.
African IP Body Steps Up Regional Effort To Adopt Plant Protection Protocol 13/11/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO), with the help of the United States and an international plant variety organisation, is working to grow regional support for a controversial draft law. The draft protocol would boost protection for new plant varieties, despite concerns of local civil society that it would not be in the best interest of ARIPO members’ food security due to its potential impact on small farmers. ARIPO held a regional workshop on the issue in recent weeks in part to build support for a treaty negotiation to lock in these protections.
Zephyr Of Hope For Longstanding Issues At WIPO Committee On Development And IP 13/11/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A lighter mood seems to have set in at the World Intellectual Property Organization Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP), after a year of what was qualified as a cycle of disagreements by some. Although delegates reiterated previous positions on some longstanding agenda items, some middle-ground alternatives seem to have gained attention.
European Conference Promotes Use Of Standards As A Tool For Innovation 12/11/2014 by Magda Voltolini for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment BRUSSELS – European experts in research, industry and policymaking at a recent conference here discussed the importance of integrating standards, research and business into the cycle of innovation in Europe.
Limitations And Exceptions As Key Elements Of The Legal Framework For Copyright In The European Union – Opinion On The Judgment Of The CJEU In Case C-201/13 Deckmyn 12/11/2014 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment In this opinion, the European Copyright Society (ECS) puts on record its views on the issues raised by the Judgment of the Court of Justice of the European Union (CJEU) in Case C-201/13, Deckmyn, which departs from the doctrine of strict interpretation of exceptions and limitations in cases in which fundamental rights such as freedom of expression are involved.
China’s First Intellectual Property Court Makes Its Debut, Two More To Follow 11/11/2014 by Mingjiang Liu for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The following is a contributed summary of recent news in China from various sources. The Beijing Intellectual Property Court, China’s first specialised IP court, came into being on 6 November, for which a ceremony unveiling the court’s nameplate was held at the court’s domicile in the capital city’s Haidian District, home to many technology giants and universities.
Hard Bargaining In IP Chapter Of Trans-Pacific Partnership, Trade Ministers Say 10/11/2014 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Intellectual property is still one of the most complex and challenging areas of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), as some countries are holding fast to high levels of IP protection to promote innovation and creativity, while others continue to seek a greater emphasis on access to ideas. This appears to be the message of today’s statement from trade ministers of countries negotiating the TPP.