WIPO Traditional Knowledge Committee Agrees To Intensify Text-Based Negotiations 08/05/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A meeting of the World Intellectual Property Organization committee on traditional knowledge, traditional cultural expressions and genetic resources drew to a close today with an unusual ending: applause, and an agreement.
WIPO Traditional Knowledge Committee Moving Toward Legal Agreement 07/05/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments A World Intellectual Property Organization committee tasked with finding an international instrument to prevent the misappropriation of traditional knowledge, folklore, and genetic resources has begun in earnest text-based discussions and is now working to find an agreement on extra meetings intended to speed the process towards creating an international legal instrument.
WIPO Traditional Knowledge Committee Opens With Hope For Text-Based Talks 03/05/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Negotiators at the World Intellectual Property Organization this week will address longstanding efforts by many WIPO members to begin in earnest text-based negotiations for a tool to better protect traditional knowledge and genetic resources.
Panellists See Critical Moment For International Policy On Biodiversity And Trade 23/04/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Negotiations to protect and preserve biodiversity are in a delicate place, as proponents of stronger protection attempt to navigate parallel discussions at different intergovernmental agencies.
Biodiversity: Bountiful Source For Cosmetics, But Needs Respect, Group Says 21/04/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments PARIS- The cosmetics industry is about beauty, but it is also increasingly about biodiversity as consumers show a growing awareness of environmental issues and the loss of biodiversity. As a wishful wink to the 10th meeting of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Nagoya in October 2010, the Union for Ethical Biotrade (UEBT) held a conference at the Palais de Tokyo in Paris on 15 April.
UN Claims Victory In Biodiversity Talks, But Outcome Not Certain 06/04/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The UN Convention on Biological Diversity last month hailed Cali, Colombia as the birthplace of a protocol they hope will lead to an international regime on access and benefit-sharing by their October 2010 deadline. But, while it is clear the late March negotiation in Cali brought significant progress, participants reported difficult disagreements and in the final days, signs that there is yet more work to be done.
Proponents Seek To Develop Policy Potential Of US Geographical Indications 31/03/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Advocates of stronger protection of geographical indications are working to develop greater awareness in Geneva policy circles, trying to win over countries reluctant to adopt a specific GI protection system.
Biodiversity Negotiators Seek To Finalise Draft Access, Benefit-Sharing Regime 22/03/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Delegates to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity today begin the last formal meeting before a late-2010 deadline to negotiate an agreement ensuring fair and equitable access to and benefits from the world’s scarce biological resources.
Le Conseil des ADPIC envisage la tenue d’un atelier sur un amendement relatif à la santé publique 16/03/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Le groupe Propriété Intellectuelle de l’Organisation Mondiale pour le Commerce s’est réuni plus brièvement que prévu, le 2 mars 2010, pour discuter d’un éventuel atelier sur un amendement visant à faciliter l’accès à des médicaments génériques abordables pour les pays dépourvus d’industrie pharmaceutique, d’une nouvelle proposition de la Bolivie, et de trois questions de propriété intellectuelle qui, bien qu’anciennes, n’ont pas connu de développement significatif.
GIs Can Help Development, But Key Ingredients Are Needed, FAO Says 01/03/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Geographical indications (GIs) can be a tool for sustainable development in rural areas and are attracting a rising interest from developing country producers, but some ingredients must be taken into account, such as an effective legal framework and collective management of the GIs, according to a recently released guide produced by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).