UPOV Holds Weeklong Meetings As Civil Society Publishes Restricted Documents 22/10/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments This week the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) is holding the annual meeting of its governing body, and preparatory meetings leading up to it. A seminar also is being held on essentially derived varieties. Meanwhile, civil society is asking that all the meeting documents be held public while demonstrating that restricted documents can be obtained through national freedom of information rights.
Polish Ministry Plans IP Reform – To Shift Rights From Universities To Researchers 22/10/2013 by Jaroslaw Adamowski for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Poland’s Minister of Science and Higher Education Barbara Kudrycka has announced plans to modify Poland’s intellectual property law by providing scientists with property rights to the results of their research.
International Standard-Setting Policies Unclear On IP, US Study Finds 15/10/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A new study of 12 leading international standard-setting organisations (SSOs) found a high degree of inconsistency and lack of clarity when it comes to intellectual property rights and licensing. The study also includes analyses on how standards policies are evolving in Brazil, China and India.
Brazilian Patent Reform Report Launched 15/10/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Infojustice.org reports: Last week, the report Brazilian Patent Reform: Innovation Towards Competitiveness was launched at an event at the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies.
Green Innovations, Owned By Developed Countries, Tied Up In Patents, Expert Says 14/10/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Climate change calls for new technologies to face its consequences, governments agree. But research and development efforts are mainly conducted by the private sector in developed countries and are patent-protected, which is doing little to diffuse the technologies in developing countries, said a lecturer in Geneva this week.
US Signs WIPO Marrakesh Treaty On Copyright Exceptions For The Blind 11/10/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The United States has signed the World Intellectual Property Organization Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled.
WHO Fine-Tuning Pandemic Flu Preparedness Strategy, Use Of Industry Contributions 11/10/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The World Health Organization is putting the finishing touches on an implementation plan for industry’s financial participation in the global influenza preparedness strategy. This week the advisory group met to discuss a draft plan presented by the WHO secretariat, which should now come up with a revised version for implementation in early 2014, according to the chair of the advisory group.
Industry Says IP Key In Technology Dissemination; Others Call For More African Innovation 07/10/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A panel of industry representatives presented their views at the World Trade Organization on the diffusion of innovation, calling intellectual property rights key to the process. Meanwhile, another panel looked at innovation as a growth strategy for the global South.
Trade Secrets Important But Neglected, IP Experts Say At WTO 07/10/2013 by Alessandro Marongiu for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Academics and experts from international organisations met last week at the World Trade Organization to discuss the role of know-how in today’s global economy, stressing the relevance of trade secrets in global value chains and international transfer of technology.
Some Notes On Developing Policy And Law In Caribbean Intellectual Property 04/10/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment In recent years, the Caribbean has been placed under a considerable amount of pressure to comply with the international regimen on intellectual property rights writes Abiola Inniss.