EU Parliament Adopts Marrakesh Treaty; Blind Union Prepared To Fight Publisher ‘Compensation’ 06/07/2017 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments The European Parliament today with over 600 votes adopted the legal instruments to ratify the Marrakesh Treaty on access to reading material for the visually impaired. The treaty, adopted by the members of the World Intellectual Property Organization in 2013 and effective since last year, has been subject of controversies due to lobbying from publishers in the European Union, members of Parliament said today in Strasbourg before the vote. EU member states after today’s vote have one year to implement.
WIPO Patent Law Committee Looks At Health, Quality 06/07/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Discussions carried out at the World Intellectual Property Organization patent law committee this week reflect strong interest for the subjects but from different angles. Topics such as how patents may affect access to medicines are favoured by some countries, while others view patents as the main enabler of innovative new products. Some find collaborative work between patent offices primordial, while others worry that it could be harmonisation in disguise. Proposals are not lacking about activities to be conducted in the committee but countries need to agree on those which meet their common goals. [Update: the committee finished early with an agreement on future work. Story to come shortly.]
New WHO Director Tedros’s Opening Vision: People First 04/07/2017 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus began his first week as director-general of the UN World Health Organization by addressing the WHO staff with his vision for the organisation and the world. Top of the list? Humanity.
Enter The African Medicines Agency, Continent’s First Super-Regulator? 03/07/2017 by Tatum Anderson for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment An African medicines agency, the continent’s first super-regulator, could be approved as soon as next year.
World’s Most Effective HIV Drug Rolled Out In Africa In Generic Version 29/06/2017 by Fredrick Nzwili for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment NAIROBI, Kenya – A generic version of dolutegravir (DTG), the drug of choice for the last two years for people living with HIV in high-income countries, is now available in Africa. On 28 June, the government of Kenya and drug pricing and innovation mechanism Unitaid unveiled the new first-line drug in an effort to accelerate access to better antiretroviral (ARV) drugs for her people living with HIV. It becomes the first country in Africa to introduce the generic version of drug.
WTO Info Tech Agreement Symposium: Is Expansion To Digital Trade In The Cards? 29/06/2017 by Elise De Geyter for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the World Trade Organization Agreement this week, several speakers and delegates called for a further expansion of the landmark deal, possibly in ways that include digital trade and better incorporate developing countries. Many information and communication technology (ICT) products are not part of the list of products under the ITA, speakers said, and negotiations about an expansion of the list of products may take a long time.
Remote Sensing And (Geo-) ICTs, Prime Tools To Achieve SDGs, WSIS Forum Hears 29/06/2017 by Elise De Geyter for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Remote sensing and geo-ICT are prime technological tools to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, according to VITO, the Flemish Institute for Technological Research. But technology should not be considered as “deus ex machina,” a speaker added during the recent World Summit on the Information Society Forum (the WSIS Forum 2017).
Joint Effort Required To Expand Local Online Content And Broadband Access 28/06/2017 by Elise De Geyter for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The lack of content on the internet in local languages and the lack of local digital skills, especially among women and girls, remain central challenges for the digital economy, speakers said during a panel discussion at the recent World Summit on the Information Society Forum 2017 (WSIS Forum 2017).
Access And Benefit-Sharing (ABS) Initiative To Continue Cooperation With WIPO 28/06/2017 by Elise De Geyter for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Access and Benefit Sharing Capacity Development Initiative (ABS Initiative) and the World Intellectual Property Organization will continue their cooperation and produce “further good events,” it became known during a recent event organised by WIPO. The initiative relates to genetic resources.
Informal And Formal Seed Systems, Usually Enemies, Can It Be Otherwise? 27/06/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Can the farmer seed system most widely used in the world, and the system of seeds produced by plant breeders certified and protected by intellectual property rights, be complementary? The question was addressed during a recent webinar organised by the Global Forum on Agricultural Research, with no easy answers. In particular, speakers mentioned several challenges, including the lack of a common agreement on what are farmers’ rights, and the inability for small farmers to register their seeds so they are protected, in particular against biopiracy.