The Price Of China’s Forced Transfer Of US Tech and IP? USD 50 Billion In Tariffs, US Says 04/04/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Trump administration today (3 April) published a list of Chinese exports to the United States which could be subject to as much as US$ 50 billion in tariffs in retaliation for policies it says have forced the unfair transfer and theft of US technology and intellectual property.
WSIS 2018 Focused On SDGs, Never-Ending Digital Divide, Role Of SMEs 20/03/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The UN-led World Summit on the Information Society Forum (WSIS) 2018 opened its doors this week, with over 2,500 participants. This year, the focus is on sustainable development. International Telecommunication Union (ITU) Secretary General Houlin Zhao underlined the importance of reducing the digital divide in a press briefing this morning.
Study – Education About IP Is Low For Non-Lawyers, Even In Top IP Nations 16/03/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Countries highly dependent on intellectual property rights do little to educate people not working in the IP field about the importance of such rights, an industry-backed study has found.
UN Member States Briefed On Innovation And Access To Health Technologies 14/03/2018 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment NEW YORK — A major event on innovation and access to health technologies took place at the United Nations in New York last week, in which UN member states were briefed on ideas and efforts to promote these issues at the forefront of global health policy.
Zimbabwe Establishes An Intellectual Property Tribunal, As A Special Division Of High Court 13/03/2018 by Hillary Muheebwa for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments KAMPALA, Uganda — In what is seen as a significant achievement in the making of history of intellectual property law, the Government of Zimbabwe has instituted and operationalised an Intellectual Property Tribunal, with the mandate to speedily preside over all IP matters, disputes, infringements, passing off and other related issues. The Tribunal recently heard its first case. [A reminder to readers: All IP-Watch stories are totally free for least-developed countries and almost all developing countries. Just sign up for a password under Subscribe.]
Pharma, Nonprofits Collaborate On Affordable Hepatitis C Treatment In Latin America 06/03/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Drugs for Neglected Disease initiative (DNDi), a nonprofit research and development organisation, today announced a collaboration with pharmaceutical companies and other nonprofits to manufacture and supply a “new, more affordable” hepatitis C treatment in Latin America. Hepatitis C medicines have been renowned for their high prices worldwide.
A Look At The Role Of Governments, Universities, Science In Health Innovation & Access 05/03/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Intellectual property rights, particularly patents, are considered by some as being a barrier in access to medicines despite being a stimulus for innovation. At a recent symposium co-organised by the World Health Organization, World Trade Organization and World Intellectual Property Organization, speakers also talked about the role of science, governments, and universities in health innovation and access, and how to address challenges such as secondary patents.
WHO Joint Tropical Disease Program Issues Report On Research Fairness 02/03/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Health Organisation’s Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR) has published the first report on research fairness under a new initiative. The report includes an analysis of how TDR manages intellectual property rights in a positive way.
Medicines Vastly Overpriced, Generics Too: Discussion At WTO-WIPO-WHO Symposium 02/03/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The price of hepatitis C medicine marked a turning point in the discussion on access to medicines, with developed countries suddenly confronted to prices they could not afford. This week, a symposium jointly organised by the World Health Organization, the World Trade Organization, and the World Intellectual Property Organization explored the question of the pricing of medicines. A number of suggestions were made to alleviate the issue, such as ensuring wide use of generic medicines, encouraging competition, and alerting countries about the cost of medicine production so they negotiate better with pharmaceutical companies.
WTO TRIPS Council Looks At IP And The Public Interest, Importance Of Research Exemption 28/02/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A relatively new topic of discussion at the World Trade Organization committee on intellectual property is the relationship between intellectual property and the public interest. This week, WTO delegates discussed the application and benefits of a regulatory exception to IP rights allowing earlier entry of generics to the market, known as the Bolar exception. The committee also heard about a request from least-developed countries (LDCs) to improve technology transfer measures that developed countries have the obligation to provide under WTO rules.