WIPO Works Out Plans For Staff Separations, Financial Disclosure 19/06/2009 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment After months of private consultations, it was no surprise that the World Intellectual Property Organization Coordination Committee – the 83-member executive body – easily approved the director general’s new cabinet this week, albeit with a few notes for the future. And a previously prepared plan for financial disclosure by upper staff also sailed through. But the bulk of discussions over the intense two-day meeting were on details of a proposal by the director general to encourage a reduction in staff in the face of the global economic crisis, which members approved after long consideration and some modifications.
Nations Work To Make IP Systems Combat Climate Change 18/06/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment With less than a year to complete a new global plan to combat climate change, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is under pressure to be able to move to a decision at the end of the year. But it is in the longer-term action plans that intellectual property issues are featuring most prominently, as parties to the UNFCCC aim to satisfy the need for growth in poor countries, and to mitigate effects of growth on the environment – a move that will require effective technology transfer.
UN Special Rapporteur: IP In Health Helping Those With Most Means, Less Need 16/06/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Nearly two billion people lack access to the medical care they need, and in the developing world those who do manage to have access are overwhelmingly paying out-of-pocket, often triggering a fall into poverty. The monopoly-making power of patents to drive the cost of medicines beyond affordability is a significant contributor to this disturbing trend, says a report of the United Nations rapporteur on the right to health presented at last week’s Human Rights Council.
WIPO Appoints New Top Officials, Readies Policies On Conflicts Of Interest, Staff Cuts 15/06/2009 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The member governments of the World Intellectual Property Organization’s executive body on Monday approved a set of seven most senior officials at the organisation to join the director general late this year. Monday’s Coordination Committee meeting also will address new policies on financial disclosure and conflicts of interest among top WIPO officials, and voluntary staff departures in the face of smaller budgets.
GAVI, Gates Deploy Industry-Favoured Incentive For Vaccines To Poor Countries 12/06/2009 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Major public health funders have alighted upon an industry-favoured approach of guaranteeing certain prices to industry to make vaccines available to least-developed country markets.
UN-Led Commission Sees Needs In Internet Governance, Science, Technology 08/06/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A commission under the United Nations charged with monitoring progress in improving science and technology in places where access is difficult and capacity to use that access scarce, concluded its recent annual meeting with draft resolutions on internet and society and on development and science. One notes that there is still much work to be done to bridge the ‘digital divide’ that creates disparities in access to information technology and knowledge in the world; the other calls on governments and UN institutions to find innovative ways to support innovative capacity.
WIPO To Create Deputy Directors For Global Issues, Trademarks 28/05/2009 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization is expected this month to create a new deputy director general for global challenges, and will raise trademarks to the DDG level while moving copyright responsibility back to the assistant director general level, according to sources at WIPO. The appointments have not been finalised and consultations may be continuing.
Copyright Exceptions Needed To Ensure Balance In Africa, Panellists Say 25/05/2009 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments International copyright laws do not take into account the reality of the conditions of accessing knowledge in Africa and clearer limitations and exceptions are needed to achieve a balanced copyright regime at the national level, panellists said at a seminar on development research on 20 May.
UN Internet Governance Panel Urges Infrastructure, Education On Access To Knowledge 19/05/2009 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Access to knowledge is a future challenge and a key factor for social and economic development but a balance needs to be found between the interests of rights holders and those of the public, said speakers at a high panel on access to knowledge during the World Summit on the Information Society Forum on Monday.
WHO Members Fail To Finish Pandemic Flu Preparations 18/05/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A series of meetings intended to set out a global framework for dealing with a potential pandemic completed its last session Saturday night with progress made but several essential issues still uncompleted.