Patent On AIDS Drug Will Not Limit Access In India, Industry Argues 30/03/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment It is “misleading” and “counter-productive” to assert that a pharmaceutical company’s filing for a patent on a HIV/AIDS drug in India will limit access to the drug in the future, GlaxoSmithKline said in response to an objection submitted today in India. The comment is a response to the submission of a “pre-grant opposition” to the […]
Protest Submitted To First Patent Filing Of HIV/AIDS Drug In India 30/03/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Two Indian HIV/AIDS networks and an international group of lawyers today submitted a protest to the first application for a patent for an HIV/AIDS drug filed in India. The opportunity to stage a “pre-grant opposition” is the “beauty of the Indian patent system,” said Ellen ‘t Hoen of Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) in an interview. […]
Sign Of The (Digital) Times: France’s Struggle With A New Copyright Law 18/03/2006 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Editor’s Note: The National Assembly adopted the legislation on 21 March by a vote of 286 in favour and 193 against. It will now go to the Senate in May, according to reports. In the global search to find a balance between copyright protection and consumer rights in […]
Groups Decry Impact Of IP And Health Terms In US Trade Agreements 03/03/2006 by Martin Vaughan for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Martin Vaughan for Intellectual Property Watch WASHINGTON, DC – Public health activists are condemning recent terms agreed to by Colombia, Peru and Central American countries in bilateral trade negotiations with the United States, that bind those countries to offer patent protections that exceed standards in multilateral agreements. The groups now are hoping for a […]
Opposition Heavy To US Environmental Health Agency Plan To Privatise Open Access Journal 28/02/2006 by Steve Gibb for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Steve Gibb for Intellectual Property Watch WASHINGTON, DC – The director of the US National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) is facing overwhelming opposition to a plan to privatise an open-access environmental science journal NIEHS publishes, according to public comments on the plan. NIEHS last September proposed privatizing Environmental Health Perspectives (EHP), www.ehponline.org, […]
L’industrie se prépare à un deuxième « round » sur la directive de l’UE en matière de brevetabilité 22/02/2006 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment PRAGUE – Les groupes industriels pro-brevets, qui ont investi des sommes considérables pour influencer les débats au sein de l’Europe sur un projet de directive – finalement rejeté – en matière de brevetabilité des inventions mises en oeuvre par ordinateur, tirent des leçons de leurs erreurs et se préparent à une éventuelle reprise des négociations […]
Benefit To LDC Manufacturers From Roche HIV/AIDS Offer Unclear 20/01/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Swiss pharmaceutical company Roche has launched a new initiative under which it says it will offer manufacturers in least developed countries technical assistance in producing generic HIV/AIDS medicines, but it is unclear how many companies will be able to benefit from the project. There could be as few as five manufacturers in sub-Saharan Africa that […]
Industry Readies For Round Two Of EU Patent Directive 19/01/2006 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments Prague — Patent-dependent industries that spent heavily for lobbying on a failed directive on the patentability of computer-related inventions are learning from their mistakes as they prepare for the possible resurrection of the issue. Lobbyists attending a Progress and Freedom Foundation (PFF) in Prague on 17 January signalled they will move early on the patent […]
Public Health Groups Sue US Government For Lack Of Consultation 15/12/2005 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A United States law firm representing public health groups filed suit against the US government on 14 December for a failure to be consulted by industry-heavy government advisory groups on trade policy. The case was filed in US District Court in San Francisco by environmental law firm Earthjustice against the US government, including the Office […]
US Congressional Delegation In Geneva Focuses On Trade, Avian Flu 30/11/2005 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Members of the United States House of Representatives visited Geneva this week to learn more about ongoing trade negotiations and policy related to the possible avian influenza pandemic. The bipartisan group of Republicans and Democrats met on 28 November with World Trade Organization Director General Pascal Lamy as well as with officials at the World […]