Ruling On Novartis Challenge To WTO Rules In India Could Come Early 04/04/2007 by Tatum Anderson for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Tatum Anderson for Intellectual Property Watch A decision on whether the Indian patent law is compliant with World Trade Organisation intellectual property rules could be made sooner than expected, after a dramatic turn of events in the ongoing legal challenge brought by Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis. Last week, the case was expected to drag […]
European Commission Issues Communication To Unlock EU-Wide Patent Debate 04/04/2007 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen BRUSSELS – While waiting for the time to ripen to introduce a single European Community patent, the European Commission has outlined a compromise that would start with a harmonised court system for patent lawsuits, an EU official said at a 3 April briefing in Brussels. With this dossier stuck for […]
EU Hears Views On Policies For Addressing Neglected Diseases 04/04/2007 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen BRUSSELS – Whether research and development into new medicines for poor countries may best be secured through the strengthening of current partnerships or through entirely new schemes was the focus of an expert workshop held in Brussels by the German presidency to the European Union and the European Commission on […]
WHO IP Submissions Going Public; Working Paper Ready In July 03/04/2007 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen BRUSSELS – Sixteen member states of the World Health Organization have submitted their views on the way forward for an intergovernmental working group on public health and intellectual property, according to a senior WHO official. The views are expected to be posted online this week. These documents relate to the […]
Rights, Content Issues May Complicate Internet Domain Name Expansion 02/04/2007 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch LISBON – The rejection of the .xxx top-level domain by the board of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) last week in Lisbon was a major highlight of the meeting of the private-sector domain name system technical body, showing its slide into the judgment of […]
Panel On US Patent Law Ethics Finds Compromises and Hope 31/03/2007 by John T. Aquino for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments By John T. Aquino for Intellectual Property Watch WASHINGTON, DC – Panellists at the all-day 29 March symposium “Ethical Issues in Patent Law” expressed frustration at the inability to improve patent system processes that self-protectively resist change. But the symposium was also filled with lessons on dealing with ethical issues and a determination to keep […]
EU Copyright Enforcement Draft Clears Parliamentary Panel; Concerns Linger 23/03/2007 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch A European Commission proposal to criminalise commercial intellectual property rights (IPR) infringements is headed for a vote in the European Parliament despite strong opposition to some provisions from industry sectors and consumer groups. On 20 March, members of the Legal Affairs (JURI) committee backed a report authored by […]
La Thaïlande présente un rapport sur son expérience des licences obligatoires 21/03/2007 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Par Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen Un représentant thaïlandais a déclaré que son Gouvernement recevait nettement plus d’appels depuis qu’il a émis des licences obligatoires pour importer et, à terme, produire des médicaments brevetés, contraignant les titulaires des brevets à baisser leurs prix. Dans le cadre d’une réunion le 8 mars dernier à Genève, les sceptiques […]
In Clash With Activists, Critics Charge Thailand Violation Of Trade Rules 19/03/2007 by Martin Vaughan for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments By Martin Vaughan for Intellectual Property Watch WASHINGTON, DC – Critics of Thailand’s decision to issue compulsory licenses for several patented drugs said the Thai government violated global trade rules, as they clashed with public health activists at a 16 March briefing on Capitol Hill, home of the United States Congress. Ronald A. Cass, dean […]
WIPO Addresses Rapid Rise In Patent Information Use 19/03/2007 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen The use of an online, searchable patent-information system run by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has tripled in the past 12 months, according to WIPO. But a recent colloquium on the topic showed that patent information is still an untapped resource that could be better utilised, and WIPO is […]