UN Expert Calls For Using Public Food Purchasing To Boost Right To Food 16/05/2014 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment “Governments have few sources of leverage over increasingly globalised food systems – but public procurement is one of them,” the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to adequate food states in a new report. The right to food should be included in public food purchasing according to five principles in order to make food systems fairer and more sustainable, he said.
EPO Internal Strife Spills Over Into European Parliament, Human Rights Court 15/05/2014 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments Relations between European Patent Office (EPO) staff and senior officials, already tense due to work issues with President Benoît Battistelli, have been further undermined by the continuing presence of Vice-President Željko Topić, according to a source close to the situation. Claims about Topić’s suitability for office by one of his former employees at the Croatian State Intellectual Property Office (SIPO) have now reached the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR), while a petition by the Association for the Advancement of the Rule of Law (Juris Protecta) in Croatia has been filed in the European Parliament.
International Seed Treaty Brainstorming For Sustainability 14/05/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A working group established by the international seed treaty of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) this week is examining ways to raise its income level, in particular innovative approaches to attract more industry participation.
WIPO Committee To Review Development Agenda Implementation, Consider Proposals 14/05/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP) meets next week with a crowded agenda. There will be reports on development-related projects and core issues such as an independent review of WIPO’s implementation of its Development Agenda recommendations.
Reforms To Spanish Patent Law Promote Filings At National Level 14/05/2014 by Angela Garcia Medina for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment On 11 April 2014, the Spanish Council of Ministers approved a draft law reforming the current Spanish Patent Law of 1986. The reform aims to reconcile the regulation with the international framework, strengthen the Spanish patent system and make it easier and faster to obtain solid patent titles in Spain. It contains a few notable changes.
New EU Human Rights Guidelines On Freedom Of Expression, Offline And Online 13/05/2014 by Joséphine De Ruyck for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The Council of the European Union reaffirmed the crucial role of freedom of expression in democratic society in the online and offline world by adopting a new set of EU human rights guidelines. This includes explicit limitations on restrictions of copyright and internet operators.
IP-Watch Subscribers – Updated List Of IP Delegates In Geneva 13/05/2014 by Julia Fraser for Intellectual Property Watch and Maëli Astruc for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Geneva IP delegates list is updated! As a special feature for our subscribers, Intellectual Property Watch has assembled a new list of many of the leading government delegates working on intellectual property issues in Geneva.
Special Report – Students To Universities: “We Have A Drug Problem” 13/05/2014 by Julia Fraser for Intellectual Property Watch 6 Comments BASEL — Students from around the world are gathering momentum to challenge their universities’ licensing policies and research and development systems. That was one of the messages emerging from the annual meeting of Universities Allied for Essential Medicines (UAEM) Europe.
WIPO Publishes Expert Paper On Documenting Traditional Medical Knowledge 12/05/2014 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization recently published a paper entitled, “Documenting Traditional Medical Knowledge.” Withthe growing use of traditional and alternative medicines in developed countries, their importance in developing countries’ health systems and the multi-billion dollar potential of benefits for companies, “documenting and protecting these medicines is becoming a greater priority,” the document states.
Book Analyses Moral Dimensions Of Intellectual Property Rights 12/05/2014 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments A recent book, “The Moral Dimensions of Intellectual Property Rights,” by Seven Ang of the Nanyang Technological University of Singapore, explores the philosophical implications of moral terms included in IP rights statutes.