US Industry Warns Of Restrictive Policies In ICTs, Including On IP Rights 02/09/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment “Serious concerns” have been raised by the United States Chamber of Commerce that policy measures increasingly restrict investment in the information and communications technology (ICT) sector, following its comprehensive examination of ICT laws and policies around the world. Intellectual property rights are among the areas the Chamber says are being targeted.
Industry’s Proposed Changes To Draft TPP Were Not Protected Under National Security Exemption, US Judge Says 01/09/2016 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Changes to the draft text of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement (TPP) suggested during negotiation of the treaty are not protected under the national security clause of the US Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), a judge ruled yesterday in a rare rejection. But he also defended USTR’s protection of information on the basis that other countries in TPP might accuse the US of “steamrolling” them if US textual proposals from the negotiations were revealed.
Access And Benefit Sharing Mentioned In US Patent For Natural Dye, Might Be A First 01/09/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments A recent patent granted by the United States Patent and Trademark Office to a Colombian company stated where the genetic resource of the invention was taken from and described the access and benefit-sharing agreement made with indigenous communities. This might be the first time that such a statement appears in a US patent, according to a source.
Innovation And Access: Fission Or Fusion? Interview With Jennifer Dent, President, BIO Ventures For Global Health (BVGH) 01/09/2016 by Guest contributor for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment In the light of the UN High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines, this series of sponsored articles challenges experts to give their views on the policies that best support the development of solutions to societies’ greatest challenges and how enabling policy environments, including IP systems, influence the development and flow of new technologies and services in different sectors, fields of technology, and jurisdictions. The views expressed in the articles are those of the authors. Below is an interview with Jennifer Dent, President, BIO Ventures for Global Health (BVGH).
Committee Agrees WIPO Strategic Plan To 2021: Possible Rethink For Policymaking 31/08/2016 by Alexandra Nightingale for Intellectual Property Watch and William New 1 Comment Anticipating a degree of uncertainty ahead for the global economy and intellectual property system, the World Intellectual Property Organization in a new six-year strategic plan looks at likely future policy debates, a focus on infrastructure and training, and possible ways to bring about better negotiations at the UN agency.
WHO Debates Expansion Of Role In Virus-Sharing 31/08/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments The global treatment of influenza is under reconsideration at the World Health Organization this week, as a review group of a WHO influenza pandemic framework looks at issues such as its relationship with an international treaty protecting countries’ ownership biological resources.
WHO Flu Pandemic Framework Working, Group Says; Some Concerned 30/08/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments A World Health Organization framework to respond to influenza pandemics is working successfully, the confidential draft report of a review team has found. But some areas, such as virus genetic information, still need more work. Stakeholders, meanwhile, are challenging some findings and a concern was raised that lawyers may be influencing the science behind decisions on this issue.
New Offices, Strategic Plan, GIs, Oversight Among Focus Of WIPO Committee 29/08/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The choice of hosting countries for new WIPO external offices and the Medium Term Strategic Plan 2016-2021 are among the hottest subjects of the week, according to several regional groups speaking at the opening today of the World Intellectual Property Organization Program and Budget Committee. Separately, the United States again called the attention to a 2015 treaty protecting geographical indications which they said should not be automatically administered by WIPO. And members called attention to audit and oversight issues.
WIPO Human Resources: All Is Harmony, Secretariat Says 29/08/2016 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The World Intellectual Property Organization’s human resources issues have been far from harmonious over the past decade, but this year’s secretariat report paints a picture in glowing language of a new culture with happy, well-trained staff after years of “change management.” And to member governments concerned about remaining challenges? No problem, just leave that to us, WIPO says.
Virus Sharing Key Against Next Flu Pandemic: Global Database Hosts Genetic Data Of Flu Viruses 26/08/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments When a deadly influenza virus appears and threatens to become a pandemic, time is of the essence. The 1918 flu epidemic infected a large portion of the global population and killed millions of people. The next pandemic is inevitable, and surveillance of flu viruses is essential through the timely sharing of flu virus genetic data with the scientific and research communities. A collaborative database has become prominent in recent years.