WIPO Members Set To Decide On Industrial Design Treaty Negotiation 25/04/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A potential treaty to facilitate international applications for industrial designs for creators is on the agenda of a meeting next week at the World Intellectual Property Organization. Also on the meeting agenda is the protection of country name registration and use as trademarks, and a proposed geographical indications filing system.
Leaked IP Chapter Of Asian FTA Reveals Tough Rules For Poorer Partners, Civil Society Says 20/04/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The alleged intellectual property chapter of a secretive regional trade agreement between an association of ten Asian countries plus six others was released yesterday by a civil society group, which says richer countries in the region are pushing for stringent IP rules.
WIPO IP And Development Conference Looks At Dynamic IP Systems 19/04/2016 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Countries develop intellectual property systems in different ways, and a recent conference at the World Intellectual Property Organization delved into some thoughts about, and examples of, how this is done.
WIPO Committee Adopts New Development Projects, Agrees Future Work, Stumbles On Technical Assistance 18/04/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments World Intellectual Property Organization committee members last week agreed some new development projects and advanced discussions on the agency’s development dimension, including technical assistance, technology transfer and ties to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). But negotiators could not complete a near-breakthrough on compromise measures to sharpen WIPO technical assistance through new guidelines, seminars, measurement tools, coordination, and tighter rules on selection of consultants.
WIPO Members Flirt With Agreement On WIPO Technical Assistance 15/04/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Technical assistance provided by the World Intellectual Property Organization and the United Nations agency’s technology transfer-related activities were discussed at length by WIPO member governments this week. At press time on the final day of a weeklong meeting, an updated proposal by Spain appeared to be bringing members nearer consensus on the way forward on WIPO technical assistance.
Study Finds Gaps In Africa-EU Health Research And Innovation Links 15/04/2016 by Munyaradzi Makoni for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment CAPE TOWN, South Africa – Health research collaborations between Africa and Europe do not match up with Africa’s own stated funding intentions, says a report published by a European Union-funded project.
Analysis: WTO Amendment On Access To Medicines Faces EU Conundrum 14/04/2016 by Peter Ungphakorn for Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments After waiting for over a decade, the World Trade Organization is finally close to achieving the first ever amendment to its rule-book, with only a handful of members still needing to formally accept new intellectual property provisions dealing with one aspect of access to medicines. Two thirds of the membership (108 of the WTO’s present 162 members) have to ratify or “accept” the amendment (on exporting medicines made under compulsory licence) before it can take effect. The number of accepting members is finally approaching 108. This has exposed a discrepancy in the way the European Union’s membership is counted. And that in turn raises questions over when the 108 is actually reached. Worse, the counting method the EU uses could even prevent some amendments ever taking effect.
Landmark WIPO Conference On IP And Development Kicks Off 08/04/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The role of intellectual property in economic, social and cultural development is at the heart of an international conference organised by the World Intellectual Property Organization this week. Today, a diverse range of speakers gave their views on the relationship between IP and innovation and creativity, with some describing in specific examples how IP helped their developing economies. Many speakers insisted on the need for developing countries to have policy space to define an IP system best suited to their development needs.
South African Trade Minister Opens WIPO Conference With Call For Appropriate IP 07/04/2016 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments A two-day international conference on intellectual property and development opened today at the World Intellectual Property Organization with calls from speakers for the IP system to be applied by nations in ways appropriate to their economies, even if it means allowing copying – just as the biggest IP-holding nations did when they were developing years ago. The theme was set by the opening keynote speaker, South African Trade Minister Rob Davies.
IP Valuation For Universities, Patent Flexibilities On Tap At WIPO 07/04/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP) meets next week with a focus on how universities and research institutions can best derive value from their discoveries. Also on the agenda are proposed projects and several documents mapping WIPO development-related activities, such as South-South cooperation. And the action kicks off this week with a wide-ranging conference on IP and development at WIPO.