South Africa: Beating About The Rooibos 15/02/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Prof. Owen Dean writes: It is a fact of life that attempts have been made in certain other countries to usurp control of the term or mark ROOIBOS, despite the fact that it is a well-known South African description for a particular plant which gives rise to ROOIBOS tea. The term ROOIBOS is as typically South African as “braaivleis” and “biltong”. It is really part of our South African heritage. The South African authorities have nonetheless taken no concrete or effective steps to protect and control the use of this term in South Africa or elsewhere.
EU Digital Agenda 101: From Supporting Research To Meeting Social Challenges 13/02/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The following is a reprint from the EU research and development network, Cordis, summarising recent activity on the EU Digital Agenda. The Digital Agenda for Europe and its 101 actions form a vital part of the overall Europe 2020 strategy for securing smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. The actions are organised in seven pillars, or ‘containers’: digital single market, interoperability and standards, trust and security, fast and ultra-fast internet access, research and innovation, digital literacy, skills and inclusion, and ICT-enabled benefits for EU society. In the previous part of this story we covered the digital single market, interoperability, security, and fast internet access. Next we look at ICT support for research…
Event Explains Partnerships In Natural Products Research Through Thai Experience With Novartis 13/02/2013 by Tiphaine Nunzia Caulier for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Alongside the World Intellectual Property Organization meeting on protection of genetic resources last week, the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA) organised a side event on natural product research.
WIPO Side Event Addresses Recent Developments Related To The Nagoya Protocol 13/02/2013 by Tiphaine Nunzia Caulier for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment At the World Intellectual Property Organization meeting on protection of genetic resources last week, the secretariat of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) organised a side event to introduce the key features and recent developments of the international protocol on access and benefit-sharing of such resources.
Year Ahead In IP, Biotech, Biodiversity: A Trio Fuelling Debates, Opportunities In 2013 12/02/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The coming year promises to be very interesting at the intersection of intellectual property with biotechnology and biodiversity. Patentability of human genes in the United States, of conventionally bred plants in Europe, plant breeders’ rights and the management of regulatory authorisations when patents on genetic traits expire, the future of genetically modified organisms in developing countries, and the usual resistance they are meeting from civil society and famers’ groups are some of the issues that will continue to feed debates – and potentially create opportunities – in 2013.
Draft Text On Protection Of Genetic Resources On Its Way To WIPO Assembly 08/02/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments At the end of a weeklong drafting exercise, World Intellectual Property Organization delegates have produced a text on the protection of genetic resources that appears to be headed to the organisation’s annual General Assembly next September. And some members hope that a high-level meeting will be convened in the course of 2014 to agree on an international instrument or instruments protecting genetic resources against misappropriation.
WIPO Update: Improved Text On Genetic Resources; Disclosure Still Undecided 08/02/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The second revision of a text on the protection of genetic resources was provided to the World Intellectual Property Organization country delegates this morning. The document, which has been streamlined by facilitators, contains a number of bracketed text, showing divergences which will require further work, including resolving how to track origin of genetic material in patent applications.
New Text Issued In WIPO Genetic Resources Talks 06/02/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The first revision of what could become an international instrument on the protection of genetic resources was issued this morning and submitted for comments from World Intellectual Property Organization delegates.
WIPO: Positions Locked On Protection Of Genetic Resources; Experts To The Rescue 05/02/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Delegates attending the World Intellectual Property Organization’s committee on genetic resources this week restated their long-held positions on the issue at the start of the meeting yesterday before letting a secluded expert group try to bridge gaps.
Indigenous Peoples Rights’ Reaffirmed By UN Rapporteur, Panellists, At WIPO 05/02/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous People, James Anaya, was invited to speak at the opening of the World Intellectual Property Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (IGC) yesterday. Along with other indigenous peoples representatives, he called for more participation of indigenous peoples in the process and a focus on the protection of their traditional knowledge, while WIPO raised alarm on the almost thorough depletion of the voluntary fund allowing the participation of indigenous peoples.