US May Remove Trade Benefits For Developing Countries 07/08/2006 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment US Trade Representative Susan Schwab announced on 7 August a review of a key programme offering duty-free access for products exported by developing countries to the US market. The review will look at whether key trading partners still should be eligible for the benefits which are offered unilaterally by the US government. Under the Generalized […]
UK Study: NGOs Helpful To Developing Countries But Could Improve 03/07/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen Assistance on intellectual property rights from non-governmental organisations (NGOs) is helpful to developing countries but more coordination and a “reality check” are needed, according to Geneva-based government officials. The remarks were made by developing country officials commenting on preliminary findings of a United Kingdom academic study on the impact of […]
Health Assembly To Begin Talks On IP Resolutions Thursday Under Time Constraints 25/05/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen and William New A technical committee of the World Health Assembly on 24 May decided to wait until the next day to set up a short-term working group on two draft intellectual property resolutions, which put in question whether the assembly will run out of time on these issues before […]
Disclosure Of Origin A Hot Topic In WIPO Patent Harmonisation Debate 11/04/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Nations debating whether to harmonise national patent systems have turned their focus to developing country demands to include requirements that patent filers disclose the origin of genetic material and traditional knowledge. The debate is taking place in a 10-12 April informal meeting of the World Intellectual Property Organization Standing Committee on the Law of Patents […]
WIPO Development Meeting Starts Slowly Despite Push For Strong Reform 20/02/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen and William New A meeting on a development agenda at the World Intellectual Property Organization got off to a slow start after a half-day debate over who would chair the meeting. This took place in contrast to efforts of key developing nations to keep negotiations on track to significant reforms […]
Le Chili enjoint à l’OMPI de prendre des mesures pour protéger le domaine public 27/01/2006 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment En vue de la prochaine réunion du nouveau Comité du plan d’action de l’Organisation Mondiale de la Propriété intellectuelle (OMPI) pour le développement, le gouvernement chilien a présenté cette semaine une proposition par laquelle il demande que des mesures concrètes soient prises pour la protection du domaine public. La première réunion du nouveau Comité provisoire […]
Chile Urges WIPO To Act To Protect Public Domain 12/01/2006 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments The government of Chile this week submitted a proposal to an upcoming meeting of the World Intellectual Property Organisation’s new committee on the development agenda that calls for positive steps to protect information in the public domain. The first meeting of the new Provisional Committee on Proposals Related to a WIPO Development Agenda will be […]
US Privatisation Plan For Open-Access Journal Challenged 16/11/2005 by Steve Gibb for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Steve Gibb for Intellectual Property Watch Washington, DC–A US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) plan to privatise a prestigious open-access environmental science journal is drawing criticism from Democrats in the US Congress and activists who say public funding provides key information in environmental debates. But some environmental science experts say the journal […]
WIPO Development Agenda Meeting Opens With New, Modified Proposals 21/06/2005 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The 20-22 June World Intellectual Property Organisation meeting to discuss the possible establishment of an agenda for development opened with, among other things, a proposal on how to discuss the proposals. Negotiators at the start of the second Inter-sessional Intergovernmental Meeting (IIM) began Monday by hearing about several new or modified proposals, including one from […]
Reform Debate Trips Up WIPO Development Aid Meeting 15/04/2005 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Members of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) on Friday failed to agree on the proper role for a permanent committee on technical cooperation that could impact larger efforts by some to reform WIPO toward development issues. Debate focused on a proposal by developed countries (drafted by Canada) to broaden the scope of the existing […]