Biodiversity ‘EcoChic’ At UN: “Organic, Fair Trade, And Damn Sexy” 22/01/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments Biodiversity preservation is getting a makeover, or so hope the organisers of an “EcoChic” event at the Palais de Nations yesterday. Attendees strategised about how the fickle spirit of fashion might be harnessed to support the UN Convention on Biological Diversity’s access and benefit-sharing regime and sustainability goals, as staff carefully anchored helium-filled white lanterns above a normally staid conference chamber and participants balanced on noticeably higher heels than normally seen in UN corridors.
EU Okays Proprietary Oracle’s Acquisition Of Open Source MySQL 21/01/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment US-based software company Oracle can have its Sun and MySQL too, the European Commission ruled today. The subject of an examination since September 2009, the Oracle-Sun merger deal came under scrutiny over anti-competition concerns.
Year Ahead: Range Of IP Policy Issues May See Action In United States In 2010 21/01/2010 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment With the United States Congress attempting to wrap up healthcare – a move made more difficult after a Republican won a traditionally Democratic US Senate seat in January – issues such as tax increases for the nation’s largest financial institutions, energy reform and others may take centre stage. But that’s not to say there is not some room for intellectual property issues to be considered. Upcoming issues may include patent reform, biologic drugs, internet neutrality, enforcement, and performance rights.
Year Ahead: Stronger Protection, Harmonisation Among Goals For Trademarks And GIs In 2010 21/01/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Enforcement of rights and a global harmonisation of systems look to be among the focal points of trademark and geographical indications policy in 2010. Significant activity will occur in these areas in Europe. But whether it is the setting up of a database for trademark registration, amendments to the Lisbon Treaty on the Protection of Appellation of Origin, or the evaluation of the European trademark system, efforts to improve current tools are showing at national and international levels.
United States Moves To Promote Internet Freedom, ‘Knowledge Commons’ 20/01/2010 by Sharon McLoone for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The United States is working to become a master at empowering its residents and others through networked technology while it navigates the murky areas of international policy and law.
New Intergovernmental Meeting At WHO Aims To Solve IP Rights And Influenza 20/01/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments A new intergovernmental negotiation, facilitated by the World Health Organization director general, will address an agreement for sharing virus-related materials and benefits and managing associated intellectual property rights in the WHO strategy for responding to pandemic influenza outbreaks.
Chan Launches Inquest On Leaked WHO Documents; Meetings Proposed On R&D Expert Report 20/01/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments The first public discussion of an expert report on how to finance the often costly process of research and development to create new medicines, vaccines and diagnostics needed by the poor to address diseases that disproportionately effect them began this week at the World Health Organization. There were immediate concerns about the last-minute release of the report’s full text and concerns from several governments that it came up short on critical areas, and it was decided that an informal consultation process will take place over the next few months. Meanwhile, World Health Organization Director General Margaret Chan said she has already begun an investigation to find out who leaked drafts of the expert group’s work to an international industry group in December.
WTO Adopts Appellate Body Report On US-China Film Distribution Dispute 19/01/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment China is expected to implement changes that will allow foreign distributors to import audiovisual entertainment products in China without trade being narrowed by state-owned channels after it lost its dispute case against the United States at the World Trade Organization (WTO). The recommendations of the dispute settlement panel and the Appellate Body were adopted today by the WTO Dispute Settlement Body.
IP System Soul-Searching In Face Of Success, System Overload 19/01/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The intellectual property system seems to be tight at the seams with a global overload of work for national IP offices and a backlog in patent requests. Further international cooperation and some adjustments are necessary to keep an efficient high quality IP system, according to speakers at a private-sector meeting in Geneva on 14-15 January.
Governments Scrutinise WHO On Pandemic Response, R&D Finance Group 18/01/2010 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The World Health Organization today declared it will launch a review of the global – including its own – response to the H1N1 swine influenza epidemic, as questions swirl around whether the UN agency trumped up the importance of H1N1. The WHO also faces charges this week that it has acted without transparency and inclusiveness in leading a process to find alternative financing for research and development into medicines for diseases occurring predominately in developing countries.