Swiss Initiative Seeks To Dispel “Black-And-White” View Of Patents 19/12/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen Switzerland has begun a new kind of collaboration at the national level with the aim of moving beyond the old “patents are good/patents are bad” debate, particularly when it comes to intellectual property and public health, according to officials. Intellectual Property Watch recently spoke with Felix Addor and Gaudenz Silberschmidt […]
US Advises Developing Country FTA Partners Not To Follow WHO IP Plan 11/12/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen The United States has busily negotiated bilateral free trade agreements with a variety of developing countries in recent years, and now appears to be using these to influence those countries’ positions in multilateral bodies such as the World Health Organization (WHO). Developing countries that have free trade agreements (FTAs) with […]
WHO Group Lays Foundation For Global Neglected Diseases R&D Plan 11/12/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen During a 4-8 December meeting of some 100 World Health Organization (WHO) member states and other stakeholders, the foundation was laid for discussions of a global plan for providing medicines for diseases predominantly affecting poor countries. The process will continue in the coming year, and a second intergovernmental meeting is […]
WHO Members Take Small Steps With New Medicine R&D Plan In Novel Exercise 07/12/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen Participants in this week’s ground-breaking meeting of a World Health Organization group working to stimulate research on neglected diseases hailed the cooperative spirit of the group after three days. But early in the 7 December session, the mood changed as some countries took issue with papers drafted by the secretariat […]
Cautious Start For WHO IP Working Group As Members Feel Their Way 05/12/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen After a slow start in a weeklong meeting on intellectual property and public health, World Health Organization (WHO) member states appear to have begun discussing the possible substance of a plan to ensure that medical treatments are developed for diseases mainly affecting poor countries. A number of developing countries called […]
Proposal Could Create New Biotech Benefits In WHO Public Medicine System 27/11/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen The biotechnology industry has proposed to change the international generic naming of medicine ingredients, which at the moment are public property, into unique names for each medicine, making it harder to substitute them with cheaper versions, and linking them to trademarks, sources say. A powerful industry coalition submitted a joint […]
US-Russia Bilateral/WTO Deal Pushes New Standards For IP Protection 24/11/2006 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By William New In its bilateral negotiation with the United States in order to join the World Trade Organization, Russia appears to have agreed to intellectual property rights standards that push those of the WTO and US law to new levels. IP issues have been a top priority for the United States in recent years […]
Consultation On WHO IP Group Shows Polarised Debate; Challenge For Group 16/11/2006 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen Submissions to the World Health Organization (WHO) online public consultation on the intergovernmental working group on public health, innovation and intellectual property show that the debate is quite polarised, and that the group is therefore in for a challenge. Among the nearly 30 submissions posted to the WHO website within […]
Views Mixed On WTO Doha Declaration On Public Health After Five Years 16/11/2006 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By William New A panel of key Geneva actors on policy related to intellectual property rights and public health on 14 November gave a range of views on the World Trade Organization Doha Declaration five years after its agreement. Several non-governmental groups and a developing country official saw some benefits but raised concerns about future […]
A Call To Universities To Help Increase Global Medicines Access 15/11/2006 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Rodrigo Cerda In the intellectual environment of universities, we have long discussed the tragic loss of life that occurs daily because sick people around the world cannot afford the drugs that could cure them. Indeed, we have reason to be worried: ten million people each year die from diseases that are treatable with existing […]