WIPO Publishes Report On Its Workforce 04/09/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The United Nations World Intellectual Property Organization has released statistics on its workforce showing that 118 countries are represented in WIPO staff, some 50 percent of which benefit from permanent contracts, while the organisation has become a strong magnet for job applicants, over 12,000 in 2017.
WIPO Traditional Knowledge, Folklore Committee Closes In Consensus; Experts To Help 03/09/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization committee charged to find effective ways to protect traditional knowledge and folklore closed a weeklong meeting in consensus on several items, among which are two revised texts to be discussed further at the next session.
African Health Ministers Approve Roadmap For Medicines Access, Framework To End Cholera 03/09/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Health ministers from the World Health Organization Africa region last week endorsed a roadmap for access for the years 2019-2023 concerning areas such as fair pricing, intellectual property management, and supply chain management. The previous day, they pledged to implement key strategies to end cholera outbreaks in the African region by 2030.
UN Tuberculosis Negotiations: What Is At Stake? 30/08/2018 by David Branigan, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments With negotiations over the final language of a United Nations high level declaration on ending tuberculosis still ongoing, the stakes are high as different TB stakeholders await the outcome. The language in question could either raise or reduce barriers to affordable access to life-saving TB drugs, according to civil society groups.
New Paper Looks At Differential Protection For Traditional Knowledge, Folklore 30/08/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The protection of traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions (folklore) has been escaping consensus at the World Intellectual Property Organization for many years. One of the reasons for this lack of agreement is the particular nature of traditional knowledge and folklore. Some years ago, a new concept, calling for a different protection according to the degree of diffusion of this knowledge, gained support. A new paper looks into the benefits of this approach and its implementation in local contexts.
New Document On Traditional Knowledge, Folklore At WIPO; Chair Calls For New Conceptual Approach 30/08/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The protection of traditional knowledge and folklore against misappropriation is a topic that has been occupying World Intellectual Property Organization delegates for close to two decades. This week a new draft document, presenting a proposed revision of a set of draft articles of potential treaties, was released by a drafting team. As some countries are keen on preserving their original language and ideas, the committee chair called for delegates to move on with their work, and lift themselves above how the patent and copyright system works.
Indonesia, Cuba Do Not Appeal WTO Plain-Packaging Ruling 27/08/2018 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments The governments of Cuba and Indonesia today chose not to appeal a June ruling at the World Trade Organization that upheld Australia’s law requiring tobacco products sold in the country to be packaged without logos or other trademarked designs. That leaves Honduras and the Dominican Republic alone in their appeals of the decision.
USTR: Mexico Agrees To Raise IP Enforcement Standards With The US 27/08/2018 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Mexico and the United States have reached a preliminary agreement to raise standards of enforcement of intellectual property rights, according to the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR). Among the terms, the agreement appears to toughen requirements for internet service providers in protecting against copyright theft and extend copyright terms, and might make it harder for Mexico to agree elsewhere to strengthen its protection of geographical indications.
WIPO Traditional Knowledge Committee Begins Work On Core Issues; Indigenous Peoples May Be Left Out 27/08/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization’s committee seeking to find solutions against misappropriation of traditional knowledge opened this morning. While delegates are expected to negotiate wording of a potential treaty, the fund allowing indigenous peoples to participate in the discussions is empty with no foreseeable new donors, described by the chair as a historical situation. The committee is also trying to agree on recommendations for the upcoming WIPO General Assembly next month. On core issues, such as what the protection should cover, who would benefit from it, and under which conditions, delegates still have to find common positions.
New Dutch Foundation To Address High Medicines Pricing Announces Plan To File Complaint With Competition Authority 27/08/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The newly established Dutch Pharmaceutical Accountability Foundation has announced its first action to address unreasonably high medicines prices in the Netherlands. The Foundation will request the Netherlands Authority for Consumers and Markets to look into the price hike for the medicine chenodeoxycholic acid (CDCA) by the company Leadiant Biosciences Ltd (formerly Sigma-Tau). CDCA is used for the treatment of children and adults with cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis (CTX), a rare genetic metabolic disease that affects around 60 people in the Netherlands.