Top IP-Watch Stories Of 2016 Reflect Cutting Edge Issues, Lingering Concerns 05/01/2017 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Hundreds of thousands of people visited articles on Intellectual Property Watch last year, and we published nearly 1,000 original articles. The year’s most-visited articles reflected a mix of new ideas and policies worldwide and some recurring issues, with especially heavy attention on stories involving India.
Southeast Asian Countries Launch IP Cooperation Plan To Be Assisted By WIPO, EU 16/12/2016 by Sinfah Tunsarawuth for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment BANGKOK – Countries in Southeast Asia have launched a 10-year action plan to strengthen their intellectual property rights cooperation, with the European Union and the World Intellectual Property Organization providing financial and technical assistance in helping the countries to achieve their goals.
A Look At The UNAIDS Board Debate On IP And Medicines; Outcome Fell Short For Some 12/12/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The discussion on intellectual property-related barriers to access to medicines was one of the most contentious points of the 39th meeting of the UNAIDS governing board last week. After hours of negotiations, the board agreed that the organisation will keep working on the issue. But developing countries and civil society would have preferred a stronger mandate, according to representatives.
UNAIDS Board Carries Forward Multi-Agency Work On IP Barriers To Medicines Access 09/12/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A meeting of the Board of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) has concluded with a set of decisions (attached) showing that the Board went farther than just noting the UNAIDS secretariat report on intellectual property-related barriers preventing access to medicines. And the Board, after lengthy discussions, also called on UNAIDS to facilitate discussions on the high-profile report of the United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel for Access to Medicines.
UNAIDS Board Considers Recommendations On Access To Medicines 07/12/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Board of the Joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) this week is considering a report calling for the 11 cosponsor agencies of the programme to follow the recommendations of the UN Secretary General’s High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines to improve policy coherence, and to produce reports on the use of intellectual property at country and regional levels, including the use of flexibilities.
Will The Voice Of Indigenous Peoples Disappear From WIPO Discussions To Protect Their Knowledge? 06/12/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment What would be the credibility of the World Intellectual Property Organization committee negotiating a system of protection for traditional knowledge held by indigenous peoples, if none of their representatives could participate in the meetings? That has been a recurring question asked by indigenous peoples and the organisation over the years. But now, if no voluntary contributions are made by governments or others, the next committee meeting could very well be first in 16 years held without a single observer from an indigenous community.
Support IP-Watch: An Appeal To Readers 06/12/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Intellectual Property Watch needs your financial support. As one of our readers, you know that IP-Watch plays a vital role in international policymaking on intellectual property and innovation through its independent, reliable, balanced and dedicated news coverage. But like other online news services around the world, the challenges of financial sustainability are high. Please help […]
Report: IP, Access To Science A Troubled Relationship 30/11/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments A new academic report looks into the relationship between intellectual property and access to science and culture, in the wake of work on the issue by former United Nations Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, Farida Shaheed. Contributors to the report aimed at reflecting on how the intellectual property system can foster economic growth while encouraging non-economic values and objectives of human development.
Amended TRIPS Agreement Close To Ratification, Says WTO’s Azevêdo 25/11/2016 by Peter Kenny for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment For Roberto Azevêdo, director general of the World Trade Organization, an amendment to the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement that affects access to pharmaceuticals for developing countries remains a priority of the WTO.
Message To WIPO: Here’s The Assistance We African Inventors Really Need 16/11/2016 by Justus Wanzala for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment NAIROBI, Kenya — Patent protection is a challenge to many an inventor in developing countries. Inventors in most African countries, for instance, are compelled to surmount huge obstacles to protect their inventions. In order to remedy the situation, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) in collaboration with the World Economic Forum has launched an Inventor Assistance Programme (IAP). Now, the local inventor community in Kenya has a few words for WIPO on how to expand the programme to make it more effective on the ground. Trust is one of them.