BIO Investor Conference: New Technologies, Old Pricing Systems, And Insurance Payers In The US 20/02/2017 by Kim Treanor for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment NEW YORK — At a recent biotechnology investors event in the United States, the prospect of repeal or redesign of the Affordable Care Act, the president’s recent remarks on the prospect of Medicare negotiating prices directly with pharmaceutical corporations, and the public debate surrounding high priced medicines, meant few panels were immune from questions of affordability, access and payment.
Dismantling Of LiMux On Eve Of Pirate Party Security Conference 20/02/2017 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment MUNICH — For the Pirate Party gathered at the Pirate Security Conference (PirateSecon) in Munich this is bad news. On the eve of the PirateSecon, held alongside the big Munich Security Conference, the city council of Munich decided to reverse the once-celebrated migration to LiMux, its much reported about Linux platform. For the German Pirate Party, the dismantling of “LiMux” is a step in the wrong direction. At the third edition of the Pirate Security Conference Pirate Party members from Luxembourg, Iceland, Switzerland and the Czech Republic discussed how to take back data and even algorithms – and how to win elections.
Search Engines, Rightsholders Agree Plan To Stop UK Consumers From Reaching Infringing Websites 20/02/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments Search engines Google and Bing have signed a voluntary code of conduct with the British Phonographic Industry (BPI) and the Motion Picture Association to prevent consumers from being directed to copyright-infringing websites, the UK Intellectual Property Office said on 20 February. The deal, brokered by the IPO, comes into effect immediately and is intended to reduce the visibility of infringing content in searches by 1 June, the office said.
US Federal Court Bars Online Publication Of Copyrighted Standards Incorporated Into Laws 17/02/2017 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment In a case pitting standards development organisations against internet content aggregators, a United States federal court ruled that Public.Resource.Org breached copyright by posting unauthorised copies of standards incorporated into government education regulations. Public Resource has appealed.
Argentinian Copyright Office Proposes To Add Exceptions And Limitations To Copyright Act 17/02/2017 by Guest contributor for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment On 12 December, the Argentinian Copyright Office and the Ministry of Culture invited a group of stakeholders, among which was this author, to discuss the final draft of the Exceptions and Limitations Bill (Proyecto de Ley de Excepciones) to modify current Copyright Act no.11.723 of 1933. One wonders whether it would be better to draft from scratch a modern Copyright Act instead of patching up the old 1933 Act. Nevertheless, the bill is welcomed. Argentina, as this author has already expressed, has one of the most restrictive copyright laws in the world (see Propuestas para ampliar el acceso a los bienes públicos en Argentina – Estableciendo el necesario balance entre derechos de propiedad intelectual y dominio público, Maximiliano Marzetti, Buenos Aires, 2013).
Negotiating Access To University IP 17/02/2017 by Guest contributor for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment There are a vast amount of ways in which you can structure an intellectual property collaboration between a university and business. This article looks to provide guidance and points for consideration by both sides.
When Machines Create Intellectual Property, Who Owns What? 16/02/2017 by Bruce Gain for Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments The concept of machines that can think and create in ways that are indistinguishable from humans has been the stuff of science fiction for decades. Now, following major advances in artificial intelligence (AI), intellectual property created by machines without human input is fast becoming a reality. The development thus begs the question among legal scholars, legislative bodies, and judiciary branches of governments worldwide of who owns the intellectual property that humans did not create.
New Gene-Editing Technology Whets Appetites In Health, Food Industry, Fuels Patent Fights 16/02/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A new discovery allowing easier and swifter genome editing, considered by some as a major game changer in the field of biology, is opening doors to new technological wonders in many areas, such as medicines and agriculture. Yesterday, the United States Patent and Trademark Office issued a ruling on a case where two US university laboratories both claimed the invention of a genome editing technique. The USPTO decided that the two universities had made distinct discoveries. In Europe, patents from both universities on the technology are also challenged at the European Patent Office.
Special Report: WHO Board Sets Review Of 10-Year Effort To Boost Medicines Access, Affordability 16/02/2017 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Once considered a breakthrough in negotiations to address problems of making cutting-edge medical products and research available to poor countries, the decade-old World Health Organization Global Strategy and Plan of Action on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property (GSPOA) is now undergoing review, with the WHO Executive Board calling for a report on the initiative and plans for its future next year.
European Parliament Passes CETA After Debate Over Whether It’s A Good Or Bad Deal 15/02/2017 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments After a somewhat tumultous debate, the European Parliament today in Strasbourg voted in favor of the Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA) with Canada. With 408 members of Parliament voting in favour and 254 against (33 abstentions) the 1598-page thick deal can become provisionally effective as early as April. The national parliaments still have to ratify it over the coming months, and possibly years.