Top IP-Watch Stories Of 2016 Reflect Cutting Edge Issues, Lingering Concerns 05/01/2017 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Hundreds of thousands of people visited articles on Intellectual Property Watch last year, and we published nearly 1,000 original articles. The year’s most-visited articles reflected a mix of new ideas and policies worldwide and some recurring issues, with especially heavy attention on stories involving India.
US Food And Drug Administration Issues Equivalence Guideline For Biosimilars Producers 05/01/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Biotherapeutic medicines are made out of living organisms and cannot be replicated. No generic medicines, which are exact copies of the reference product, can be made. The generic equivalent of a biotherapeutic would be biosimilars, which are highly similar products. The United States Food and Drug Administration has issued a guide to help producers to prove how close their biosimilars are to the biotherapeutics.
IP World Enters New Year With Major Shift Of People In Pharma, Copyright 22/12/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment As a new year dawns, a lot of movement has been observed in the pharmaceutical industry with new key players taking the lead. Meanwhile, new delegates are covering IP issues in Geneva, and coordination of regional groups at the World Intellectual Property Organization makes its usual yearly shift for 2017. The copyright industry also saw major changes, and law offices have been busy hiring new partners.
2016 USTR List Of ‘Notorious’ Markets: Stream Ripping, Taobao And Switzerland 21/12/2016 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The United States Trade Representative’s office today released its annual “notorious markets” for intellectual property-infringing goods, with a list of 21 online and 12 physical markets worldwide. Many of the online sites are based across Europe, including several in Switzerland, but also in Russia and China as in the past. A big feature is China’s Taobao, and new methods like stream ripping.
US Supreme Court Eyes Patent-Enforced Post-Sale Restrictions 21/12/2016 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Few were surprised when, earlier this month, the US Supreme Court agreed to hear the appeal in Impression Products, Inc. v. Lexmark International. The case presents two important patent law issues, and the lower court’s ruling on these issues conflicts with Supreme Court precedents, according to many experts.
ECJ Advocate General Says EU Commission Cannot Make Trade Deals Without Member States 21/12/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Not all parts of the European Union-Singapore trade agreement “fall within the EU’s exclusive competence and therefore the agreement cannot be concluded without the participation of all of the Member States.” This is the result of an opinion of the European Court of Justice Advocate General Eleanor Sharpston published today.
Podcast: ITIF’s Atkinson On Trade, Innovation, China In Trump’s Washington 20/12/2016 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A major shift is underway in Washington that is expected to have ramifications for global trade, innovation, and intellectual property enforcement, as Donald Trump steps into the United States presidency. IP-Watch caught up with Rob Atkinson, president of the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation to get his view on what’s to come. Among the predictions: the Washington Consensus on trade gets turned on its head, enforcement will rise including at multilateral level, the US will have many new ideas but iPhones will not be made in the US, and a much-needed “reset” of the US policy on China will bring greater mutual respect – if done right.
High Hopes For Blockchain For Digital Copyright Protection 19/12/2016 by Bruce Gain for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Blockchain platforms could help solve some copyright ownership issues for content sharing. But whether the technology lives up to its promise remains to be seen.
No Deal: German Universities Prepare For Cut-Off From Elsevier Journals 16/12/2016 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 9 Comments After licensing negotiations between German university libraries and Elsevier failed at the beginning of the month, over 60 university libraries in Germany are preparing to be cut off from hundreds of journals of the British-Dutch publisher, after a standoff over pricing and access.
Southeast Asian Countries Launch IP Cooperation Plan To Be Assisted By WIPO, EU 16/12/2016 by Sinfah Tunsarawuth for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment BANGKOK – Countries in Southeast Asia have launched a 10-year action plan to strengthen their intellectual property rights cooperation, with the European Union and the World Intellectual Property Organization providing financial and technical assistance in helping the countries to achieve their goals.