Bangkok Climate Meeting Leaves Political Issues, Compulsory Licences Unresolved 12/10/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 7 Comments BANGKOK – Humanity may be facing the single greatest threat to its future in history, yet significant political disagreements still stand in the way of common action needed to combat what will be a common crisis. One potential blocking point appears to be whether compulsory licensing may be encouraged for poor countries needing climate technologies.
WTO Forum: Bypassing International Agreements May Hamper Medicines Access 11/10/2009 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Access to medicines in developing countries may be put at risk by European customs regulations and more broadly by trade provisions in most free trade agreements between developed and developing countries, said speakers at the recent World Trade Organization Public Forum.
Council Of Europe Weighs Future; Drafts Counterfeit Medicines Convention 09/10/2009 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Sixty years after its foundation, the Council of Europe is reconsidering its role and place in the architecture of European institutions. One new development is the drafting of a convention against medicines counterfeiting.
New Security System Is Internet’s “Biggest Change In History” 08/10/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Starting on 1 December, the central root zone of the internet domain name system (DNS) will be given digital signatures based on the protocol DNS Security Extensions (DNSSEC) in an effort to make the internet more secure. Once signed with DNSSEC, domains can be automatically authenticated, thereby making middle-man attacks to lure users away obvious […]
IP Rights In Agriculture: High Stakes, Entrenched Positions At WTO Public Forum 08/10/2009 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The economic, climate and food crises were on the lips of speakers at the 2009 World Trade Organization Public Forum last week. Suggestions for better global governance were sought from stakeholders who took the podium in different sessions, and trade in agriculture was a focal point of the event.
Iceland Panel: French ‘3-Strike’ Rule Spreading But Not Best Option 07/10/2009 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment COPENHAGEN – A panel discussing the copyright challenges posed by social media at a recent conference in Iceland concluded that while new and stricter regulations as proposed in France may not be a bad idea, the best solution is to provide consumers with quality services for which they are willing to pay. Meanwhile, there are new developments at the European level.
New Text Shows Delegates Must Overcome Conceptual Differences On IP, Climate 06/10/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment BANGKOK – Delegates gathered in Thailand to try and pull together a slow-moving UN negotiation on a plan to fight climate change have yet to bridge fundamental conceptual differences on key issues, including intellectual property. The vast majority of consensus found so far at the two-week informal gathering has been textual rather than political, said several participants.
ITU Telecom World: Innovation, Growth, Green Technology – And Stronger Copyrights 06/10/2009 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments The 2009 edition of the United Nations telecommunications agency annual summit opened its doors yesterday, bringing together government, industry leaders, and other stakeholders in a networking effort to address global challenges in the information society. Meanwhile, the head of the UN intellectual property agency took a shot at internet service providers and the need for stronger copyright protection.
Work Plan For WTO Negotiations Includes Potentially Critical IP Issues 06/10/2009 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The new work plan for negotiations for the coming months at the World Trade Organization includes intellectual property issues that some members say are critical to any outcome in the current round of trade negotiations.
Biotech Legislative Agenda: Healthcare, Energy, Patents And Capital 05/10/2009 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The United States Congress and biotechnology industry are currently focused on healthcare reform, but biotech is also looking to the future at energy reform, patent reform and other intellectual property-related legislative priorities still on its agenda.