Counterfeit Medicines In WTO Dispute Process, Heating Up At WHO 12/05/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The international policy debate over counterfeit medicines and legitimate generics escalated today. Brazil and India took the first step in the World Trade Organization dispute settlement process for treatment of generics medicines falsely labelled counterfeit in Europe, and non-governmental organisations from both sides of the issue issued new releases stating their positions on the issues at the neighbouring World Health Organization.
Biotechnology Consultant To Lead WIPO Global Challenges Division 12/05/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A leader for the World Intellectual Property Organization Global Challenges Division – tasked with connecting intellectual property to critical issues such as public health, food security, and climate change – has been named more than a year and a half after the division’s creation.
New WHO Documents Show Results On IP, Innovation, Technology Transfer 11/05/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Three new documents from the World Health Organization programme on intellectual property and innovation obtained by Intellectual Property Watch provide new evidence on how technology transfer is working, analyse research prioritisation at the WHO, and indicate progress on a monitoring and evaluation strategy for the programme’s continued implementation, according to a preliminary reading.
ITU-UNESCO Broadband Commission Aims At Global Internet Access 10/05/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A global Broadband Commission for Digital Development announced today will unite industry, government and civil society in an attempt to expand access to the internet – and with that, access to information that is essential to participation and competition in the knowledge economy.
US, WIPO Officials Assess Patent Reform, PCT, Copyright Priorities 10/05/2010 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment NEW YORK – Republican and Democratic lawmakers in the United States are “hotlining” colleagues to ascertain if there is any objection to moving patent reform quickly through the US Senate, a representative of a major stakeholder in the debate said here Friday. Meanwhile, the US Copyright Office is working to get its priorities through a restructured Congress, and a World Intellectual Property Organization official warned of a possible divide in WIPO’s norm-setting activities.
WIPO Traditional Knowledge Committee Agrees To Intensify Text-Based Negotiations 08/05/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A meeting of the World Intellectual Property Organization committee on traditional knowledge, traditional cultural expressions and genetic resources drew to a close today with an unusual ending: applause, and an agreement.
WIPO Traditional Knowledge Committee Moving Toward Legal Agreement 07/05/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments A World Intellectual Property Organization committee tasked with finding an international instrument to prevent the misappropriation of traditional knowledge, folklore, and genetic resources has begun in earnest text-based discussions and is now working to find an agreement on extra meetings intended to speed the process towards creating an international legal instrument.
Biotech Convention Pays Homage To IP, Pledges To Increase Access To Medicine 04/05/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Intellectual property rights and access to medicines were on the agenda at the first day of a biotechnology industry group’s annual convention yesterday. The group held a panel on IP rights and also released a policy statement on access to medicine in developing countries. The director of the US Patent and Trademark Office commented positively on the initiative.
Health Initiative Proposes Rewarding Innovation On Impact Results; Some See Hurdles 04/05/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment An alternative initiative to promote access to medicine with a method mimicking market mechanisms means to create additional incentives for health innovation, authors of the proposal said yesterday. But other health actors have reservations. A public event was organised yesterday to discuss how the Health Impact Fund (HIF) could fit within existing structures and what challenges it could face.
WIPO Traditional Knowledge Committee Opens With Hope For Text-Based Talks 03/05/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Negotiators at the World Intellectual Property Organization this week will address longstanding efforts by many WIPO members to begin in earnest text-based negotiations for a tool to better protect traditional knowledge and genetic resources.