Special Feature: Blocking Taiwan From Joining WHO Affects Global Health Security, Officials Say 09/04/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment TAIPEI, Taiwan – Two years after the victory of Taiwan Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) and President Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan is feeling the effects of the DPP’s position against the “One China principle.” At the World Health Organization, China is allegedly successfully blocking Taiwan from participating in the annual World Health Assembly, and in a number of WHO technical meetings, officials say. Beyond the political dimension of the dissent between China and Taiwan, the situation may hurt the Taiwanese and global health security, Taiwanese officials said.
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.
New TPP Still Most Advanced IP Trade Agreement Ever, Think Tank Says 09/03/2018 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) is on track to offer “the most advanced and detailed standards on intellectual property in a trade agreement to date” despite revisions scaling back the IP chapter after the United States dropped out, says the Washington, DC-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).
Investor Protection Clauses In Bilateral Trade Agreements Take A Hit In EU 06/03/2018 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Investor protection clauses in bilateral trade agreements between European Union member states were declared incompatible with EU law in a judgment by the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg today.
USTR Lighthizer To NAFTA Partners: Step Up Pace Or Lose Window Of Opportunity 06/03/2018 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment United States Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer warned his Mexican and Canadian counterparts today (5 March) that if they don’t quickly pick up the pace of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) renegotiations, they will face “headwinds” from elections in all three countries. And if they can’t progress, the US is prepared to proceed bilaterally.
Tough Talk On Transatlantic Privacy, Once Again 05/03/2018 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The EU Commissioner for Justice, Consumers and Gender Equality, Věra Jourová, ahead of her US visit announced “a tough tone” on remaining gaps in the implementation of the privacy shield, the arrangement that allows to transfers of data of EU citizens to the United States. Speaking before the EU Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties (LIBE), Jourová said while she had heard the privacy shield was not a priority of the US administration, “it will be a priority, if we make clear that we will suspend the system if it doesn’t work,” adding, “My patience is coming to an end.”
Protecting And Promoting Copyright Balance In NAFTA 04/03/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The ongoing NAFTA renegotiation presents a prime opportunity to move the ball on protecting and promoting general public interest copyright exceptions. All three countries have such exceptions to varying degree. And all three are under threat from an agenda to cabin their use through international law. NAFTA negotiators can and should include the best models from prior international agreements that protect and promote the ability of countries to have general exceptions, writes Professor Sean Flynn.
Wellcome Trust Report Recommends UK-EU Agreement On Research & Innovation 27/02/2018 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Wellcome Trust, the London-based biomedical research charity, has issued recommendations for improved scientific collaboration after Brexit, including to establish a formal agreement on research and innovation. This includes continued leadership by the UK on open research, and might include expanding the UK patent box scheme, it says.
US 2019 Budget Proposal Shows Stable Funding For WIPO, WTO, WHO, ITU 19/02/2018 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment While the Trump administration has taken aim overall at US contributions to international organisations since taking office last year, the budget proposal it put forward last week would roughly maintain last year’s lower levels for a range of Geneva-based agencies without making further cuts. Others did not fare as well.
Copyright For Libraries Around The World In 2018 16/02/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Copyright laws around the world are constantly changing in an attempt to adapt – or react – to the digital world. These changes can have a major impact on how libraries function and on the public service they provide. While some reforms offer new possibilities and legal certainty, others look backwards and seek to use the law to restrict the ability of libraries to guarantee meaningful information access to their users, IFLA writes.