WIPO Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge Panel Seeks To Continue Unchanged 10/06/2005 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The World Intellectual Property Organisation committee tackling the relationship between intellectual property and genetic resources and traditional knowledge wrapped up a weeklong meeting today with little agreement other than to recommend the General Assembly continue the group’s mandate unchanged for the next two years. The Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge […]
Health Experts Debate Solutions For New Treatments, Access To Medicines 08/06/2005 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Experts from across the political and socioeconomic spectrum spent three days last week at the World Health Organisation engaged in debate about the best ways to stimulate the development of new treatments for underserved illnesses and to improve poor countries’ access to available medicines. The task of summarizing the results of the meeting and other […]
WIPO Faces Persistent Complaints, Allegations Of Mismanagement 07/06/2005 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The World Intellectual Property Organisation is said to be different from many United Nations bodies in that it has long been seen as more of a technical body than the domain of career diplomats who are expert at political wrangling. But in recent months, the organisation has been called upon to address a series of […]
Agreement Out Of Reach In WIPO Patent Harmonisation Talks 03/06/2005 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Governments’ failure to reach agreement on a way forward on patent harmonisation talks at the World Intellectual Property Organisation today has cast a pall on the future of the issue within the UN body, sources said. The meeting of the Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (SCP) at Geneva-based WIPO was scheduled for 1-2 […]
Stakes Are High For WIPO Patent Harmonisation Meeting 31/05/2005 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The stakes are high for many participants in a 1-2 June negotiation at the World Intellectual Property Organisation, as the future of efforts to harmonise international patent laws is on the table. Developing country governments and non-governmental organizations raised concerns in the lead-up to this week’s Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (SCP) meeting […]
Medical R&D Treaty Debated At World Health Assembly 30/05/2005 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Experts attending the U.N. World Health Assembly this month debated a proposal to create an international treaty on medical research and development aimed at making medical treatment affordable globally while ensuring continuing innovation in the area. The proposed treaty was created in consultation with a variety of non-governmental and government experts, and in February, 162 […]
WHO Board Delays Decision On Trade-Related Proposal 27/05/2005 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Health Organisation Executive Board on Friday postponed to January a proposal urging governments to adopt national policies on international trade and health. The draft resolution led by Thailand had the support of Benin, Bhutan, Bolivia, Brazil, Canada, China, Iraq, Jamaica, Kenya, Nepal, Sudan, Thailand, Tonga, Viet Nam, and others, but the board put […]
WIPO Working Group Recommends Consideration Of Audit Committee 26/05/2005 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Editor’s Note: This article was modified on 6 June, 2005. A working group at the World Intellectual Property Organisation on Wednesday agreed to recommend the consideration of a new committee to conduct independent audits of the U.N. body. The effort in some ways reflects a wider trend across the United Nations toward greater financial accountability. […]
Health Assembly Officials Watch For Last-Minute Amendments 20/05/2005 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment At the U.N. World Health Assembly negotiations in Geneva, officials have been watching carefully for the last-minute introduction of any amendments they view as unfavourable. This is true for all of the texts being developed, only some of which have a direct relation to intellectual property issues. The assembly, which runs from 16 to 25 […]
Experts Discuss Essential Drugs Patent Pool Proposal 19/05/2005 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Consumer representatives, United Nations diplomats, drug industry representatives and others this week discussed a proposal to form a patent pool for essential medicines. The proposal was put forward by Consumers International and the Consumer Project on Technology (CP Tech) at the annual U.N. World Health Assembly, and on Tuesday filled a room with people holding […]