From The IGF: Next Steps In Open Source? Open Source Hardware 20/12/2017 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Open source software today has won in some ways, activists said at the regular Open Source Software Workshop at the 12th Internet Governance Forum in Geneva today.
A Digital Geneva Convention: Nobel Prize-Worthy Or Dangerous? 19/12/2017 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Microsoft on 19 December presented its Digital Geneva Convention during the 12th Internet Governance Forum in Geneva. With cybersecurity being one of the top issues at the forum, the company received a lot of interest for the idea of developing the convention as a multi-stakeholder draft. But there were also voices of caution from individual governments as well network-operating people.
Internet Governance Forum Opening: Wish List For An Open, Trustworthy, Accessible Internet 19/12/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The Internet Governance Forum opened yesterday at the United Nations in Geneva, coming back to its origins, and as the opening ceremony resounded with Swiss alphorn, speakers insisted on the urgency to find fresh solutions to internet-related new issues. Cyber security, digital divide, influence of private companies, lack of digital literacy, the challenges are numerous, and solutions require a multi-stakeholder collective effort, the speakers said in unison.
Internet Content Control Is Here, UN Special Rapporteur Warns IGF 19/12/2017 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment “Internet content regulation is coming, in fact it is already here,” said David Kaye, United Nations special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression, during a panel organised by the Global Network Initiative on day one of the 12th Internet Governance Forum in Geneva this week.
New UNCTAD, GIZ Toolbox: How To Achieve Policy Coherence For Local Production And Access To Medicines 05/12/2017 by Guest contributor for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment What do investment, trade, intellectual property, health financing, R&D, industrial and medicines regulation policy have in common? They are all important building blocks for the successful promotion of local pharmaceutical manufacturing. As more and more countries are looking into building their own pharmaceutical production capacities, they need to ensure strong policy coherence to be successful.
Global Biotech Industry Tests Policy Waters In Geneva 04/12/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments A delegation of heads of biotechnology companies visited Geneva this month to present the International Confederation of Biotechnology Trade Associations (ICBA). The ICBA was created in 2012, but is now looking to make its voice heard in Geneva and inform policy discussions, and is finding it is not easy to become an observer in some organisations. They also underlined the importance of intellectual property for the biotech sector, in particular to attract indispensable capital. The delegation sat down with Intellectual Property Watch’s Catherine Saez to talk about their Geneva visit.
UN General Assembly Committee Adopts Resolution On SciTech For Development With Nod To IP Rights 30/11/2017 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A committee of the United Nations General Assembly this week adopted a resolution highlighting the importance of – and setting out member state tasks for – growing science and technology, including expansion of intellectual property rights and innovation tailored to countries’ development strategies.
Access To Affordable Healthcare: A Global Wake-Up Call Fosters Coalition Of The Like-Minded 27/11/2017 by Patralekha Chatterjee for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment NEW DELHI — Few topics in the global health agenda are as contentious as access to affordable medicines and medical care, and expectedly, divergent views permeated the discussions at a high-level conference in New Delhi, India last week. But if there is one thing that the three-day meet made amply clear, it was this: access to affordable healthcare has emerged as a global problem, and an emerging coalition of the like-minded, cutting across the developed and developing countries, is determined to have their voices heard in international policy circles on the issue.
WHO Members Delve Into Draft 5-Year Work Programme, Question Finance, Focus 22/11/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments World Health Organization member states’ first reactions to the secretariat-proposed draft work programme for the next five years were mixed this morning. Although many praised the effort and the vision of the programme of work, in particular its alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, a number of countries found the programme ambitious without the needed financial backing, and sometimes straying from the core function of the organisation.
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.