First Consultations Held On WHO Pandemic Flu Framework Options 10/11/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The World Health Organization is consulting member states and stakeholders on the future of its mechanism to help prepare the world for the next influenza pandemic. It is particularly asking whether countries should submit not only the biological samples of their influenza viruses, but also their genetic information through the mechanism. Also in question is whether the mechanism should be extended to cover seasonal influenza. Stakeholders had different views but all questioned the absence of recognition by the WHO of a widely used database currently hosting most of the world’s influenza genetic information.
WIPO Vaccines Report Contestable, With UN High-Level Panel Misquoted, Advocate Says 10/11/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization this week held an event that delved into research, markets and access for vaccines with panels that showed unusual breadth of representation for the UN IP agency. But health advocates have taken issue with the wording of a report released by WIPO at the event.
WIPO Hosts Widely Represented Discussion On Vaccine Innovation And Access 09/11/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A well-represented set of experts this week held discussions on the current situation of access to vaccines, the market, the role of pharmaceutical companies, and partnerships. Vaccines were not a field much affected by patents in the past, but the situation has changed and new vaccines are now covered by intellectual property, which might constitute a barrier to access, according to speakers.
South Centre: Clear Rules Needed On Biosimilars Equivalence To Help Market Entry, Lower Prices 09/11/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment As soon as 2022, biological drugs made from active protein substances are expected to make up 50 percent of the pharmaceutical market, as they are increasingly used to treat a number of illnesses such as diabetes, cancer and hepatitis. But with the high price of therapeutics and difficulty in producing biologically similar products, and with the originator products now coming off patent, regulation is of high importance, says a new report from the intergovernmental South Centre.
Geneva Buzzing With Ideas And Events For International Entrepreneurship Week 09/11/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A weeklong event next week has been co-organised and sponsored by a number of Geneva actors, such as the World Intellectual Property Organization, the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN), and the University of Geneva, as well as lesser known groups and projects, to celebrate the international week of entrepreneurship.
How Solid IP Security Policy Could Have Prevented The Waymo vs. Uber Legal Debacle 08/11/2017 by Bruce Gain for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Waymo likely could have avoided a lawsuit against Uber over driverless car technology if it had an effective policy to prevent trade theft by its employees, legal and security experts say.
Custom Built Software And The IP Law – What You Need To Know 07/11/2017 by Guest contributor for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The practice of building custom software is alive and well despite the emergence of tons of ready to use offline and online business apps. Businesses build custom software for various reasons. Some are unsatisfied by solutions available on the market, others need very specific features or overall functionality, security and privacy concerns are another major driver of tailored software development. The process of building custom software involves five basic stages, if you stick to traditional software development workflow, or an indefinite number of iterations under agile development method. Both approaches, however, include various scenarios in which intellectual property rights are involved, writes Jorge Sagastume.
WHO Issues Guidelines Against Antibiotic Overuse In Farms And Food Industry 07/11/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Against the growing threat of a world where bacteria can kill again because they have developed resistance to available antibiotics, and the lack of new promising options in the research pipeline, several international agencies are seeking solutions. The World Health Organization today published a set of recommendations to help stop the routine use of antibiotics to promote growth and prevent disease in healthy animals.
Hepatitis C Buyers’ Clubs Grow Worldwide As A Way To Obtain Affordable Treatment 07/11/2017 by Tatum Anderson for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Hidden amongst the thousands of Facebook pages given over to holiday snaps and gossip are groups of patients who have hepatitis C, a disease that affects more than 70 million worldwide and kills around 400,000 people a year. But importantly, these groups of patients from Russia to Australia have got together to help each other import a relatively new class of drug that is able to cure most of the patients who take it.
UPOV Approves Budget, Explains Contribution To SDGs; Civil Society Disagrees 06/11/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) met a few days ago and took a number of decisions, such as approving its budget for the 2018/2019 biennium, adopting a document describing the union’s contribution to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, and the extension of the appointment of its vice secretary general. Civil society, however, has issues with UPOV’s take on its contributions to the SDGs. They also reiterated their request that farmers be included in UPOV’s decisionmaking.