New Submissions Feed CBD Debate At TRIPS Council Meeting 15/03/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment At the two-day meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) council responsible for intellectual property rights, discussions first focused on two new submissions on issues related to the UN Convention on Biodiversity (CBD). The relationship between the CBD and the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) was on the agenda of […]
Full Agenda For WTO TRIPS Council Next Week 08/03/2006 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Trade Organization committee addressing intellectual property will face a full range of issues when it convenes for the first of three scheduled meetings this year. The 14-15 March meeting of the Council on the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) will tackle issues that have been tied to the larger […]
Public Health And Patents Heat Up WIPO Debate On Harmonisation 08/03/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Discussions at an open forum last week on a possible harmonisation of international patent laws showed that countries do not only disagree on whether it would be useful or not but also have different expectations on what such a harmonisation would encompass. Judging from the at times sharp debate, the most contentious issue seems to […]
Biotech Industry Fights Disclosure In Patents On Three IP Policy Fronts 02/03/2006 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment For the coming months, key biotechnology industry organisations are focusing their efforts on blocking the addition of disclosure of origin requirements in international patent applications on three fronts. The issue is being debated in three international fora: the World Trade Organization, the World Intellectual Property Organization and the Convention on Biological Diversity. Industry is mustering […]
WTO Paper Summarises Discussion On Biological Diversity Convention 20/02/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Trade Organization secretariat has issued a new paper on the relationship between WTO rules on intellectual property rights and the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The 78-page paper, which reflects the past eight years of discussion on the issue at the WTO, is now available on the WTO website. The paper is an […]
Negotiations On CBD Biodiversity Regime Reveal Disagreements 10/02/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment GRANADA, Spain – A meeting of government officials responsible for biodiversity here last week adopted draft recommendations on a possible international regime for biodiversity. But there were tough behind-the-scenes negotiations between all parties involved in the run-up to the adoption. The proposed regime would regulate access to and benefit sharing of genetic resources between users […]
UN Meeting Adopts Draft Global Regime On Use Of Genetic Resources 03/02/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment GRANADA, Spain – After intensive negotiations here this week, negotiators at a United Nations Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) conference adopted three draft documents recommending a new international regime for the use of genetic resources. The recommendations, if adopted by the signatory nations of the 1992 CBD, could enhance the rights of indigenous and local communities […]
Revised Biodiversity Draft Meets Strong Developed Country Opposition 02/02/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment GRANADA, Spain — A revised draft proposal for an international regime governing the use of genetic resources presented here on 2 February at a Convention on Biological Diversity negotiating session is meeting with strong opposition from developed countries. The new draft includes a proposal from Brazil on the disclosure of origin of genetic material in […]
Draft Of Global Regime On Genetic Resources Emerges At CBD 02/02/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment GRANADA, Spain – A draft version of international regulations on the use of genetic resources has been put forward by the chairwoman of a United Nations conference here. The draft was welcomed by developing countries and a few developed countries but met with deep scepticism from many developed countries, the pharmaceutical industry, and some inter-governmental […]
CBD Meeting Focuses On Access To Genetic Resources, Benefit Sharing 26/01/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Member governments of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), meeting in Granada, Spain, have been urged by the secretariat to make progress next week on the development of a global regime on access to genetic resources and benefit sharing. This week, the members are discussing issues related to the protection and promotion of traditional […]