Staff Union Welcomes Next EPO President, Hopes For Dialogue 23/10/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment In a letter to its members, the Staff Union of the European Patent Office (SUEPO) in The Hague, Netherlands has welcomed the election of Antonio Campinos as new President of the EPO a week ago, expressed hope for a change in EPO management-workforce relations and has some recommendations for next steps.
TRIPS Council Serves As Ground For Discussion Of Compulsory Licensing 23/10/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The escalating prices of medicines has become a growing global concern. Among many issues, intellectual property has been pointed to as providing monopolies that allow for unaffordable prices, in particular in developing countries. Though there is consensus among countries that IP is but one of the issues, the extent of the IP influence is not agreed. The use of compulsory licences as a way for developing countries to grant access to medicines to their populations was discussed during the World Trade Organization committee on intellectual property last week, with divergent opinions.
TRIPS Council: Fears That Non-Violation Complaints Could Undercut Flexibilities In IP Trade Rules 20/10/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments World Trade Organization committee members this week were asked to recommend to the upcoming ministerial conference whether to lift or indefinitely prolong a moratorium shielding intellectual property from complaints between members not involving a breach of a WTO agreement. Short of a consensus, the intellectual property committee will have to reconvene next month to try to find agreement. Separately, a two-year extension was granted to countries not yet having ratified the public health amendment to WTO IP rules.
WIPO Report To Annual Assemblies Contains Some Interesting Facts 20/10/2017 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Among all the high-profile issues on the stage and the countless side meetings and cultural celebrations happening at the annual World Intellectual Property Organization annual Assemblies, there were some interesting facts and figures presented about the UN agency itself.
On Eve Of TRIPS Council, Experts Promote Benefits Of IP For Small Enterprises 19/10/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The importance of intellectual property protection for micro, small and medium-sized enterprises and the challenges they might encounter to ensure that protection was the focus of an event organised this week by a group of developed and middle-income countries at the World Trade Organization. According to the group, the event aimed at drawing connections between IP policies that are under discussion in the WTO IP committee.
World Health Summit: Failing Business Models In AMR And Vaccination 19/10/2017 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment BERLIN — With antimicrobial resistance (AMR) on the rise worldwide there is no time to lose for developing new antibiotic drugs, experts said during one of the last panels of this year’s World Health Summit in Berlin Tuesday. As in several other rounds during the three-day event, industry representatives underlined that there is an issue with the business model due to high risk and low return of investment for research in this area.
“WTO Must Not Be The Odd One Out” – Members Revive Talks On GIs, Genetic Resources 19/10/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Members of a 2008 World Trade Organization coalition are trying to rekindle a negotiation to provide the same level of protection granted to wines and spirits to other geographical indications, and to grant intellectual property protection to genetic resources and traditional knowledge. The discussion might not make it to the December WTO ministerial, but the group hopes to open a “fresh window” for discussion.
CCIA Report: Digital Music Industry Sees Strong Revenue Growth, Creativity, Choice 19/10/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A technology association-backed report released this week shows strong growth in revenues for the music industry over the past 5 to 10 years, driven by digital music. The data counters the current European copyright reform concern over a “value gap” for the music industry, the Computer & Communications Industry Association (CCIA) said.
In US, New Legal Ploy May Protect Bad Patents 18/10/2017 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments It had been a bad three months for Allergan, Inc. The drug maker’s stock price had fallen over 20 percent, as the company faced two legal challenges to the patents on its blockbuster drug, Restasis. Then, on 16 October, Allergan lost one of those challenges. A US court found the patents invalid. Allergan vowed to appeal, thus maintaining its monopoly on the drug until a final court determination, which could be over a year away. But Allergan’s monopoly could collapse far sooner, if the company were to lose the second challenge to the patents, before the USPTO. Such a loss was probable, as the agency had already found a “reasonable likelihood” that prior art invalidated the patents on Restasis. So back in September, Allergan employed an innovative legal strategy: The company gave its patents to a Native American tribe, and the tribe claimed its sovereign immunity prevented the USPTO from reviewing the patents’ validity. If this strategy were to succeed, it will do far more than just boost Allergan’s bottom line. The new strategy will increase the power of patent owners, help patent trolls, and dramatically alter the US patent system.
EU To Get Rid Of Big Pharma-Friendly SPCs 18/10/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Extended monopoly protection by the Regulation EC 469/2009 concerning the supplementary protection certificate (SPC) mechanism for medicinal products has led to spiralling prices in Europe for lifesaving medicines, while exhausting the national budgets and depriving patients of fair access to treatments. The EU Commission should repeal the SPCs and put in practice the recommendations signed on 8 September 2017 by thirty-three civil society organisations, in alignment with the final report of the UN High Level Panel on Access to Medicines, writes Daniele Dionisio.