Debate Heats Up Over WIPO Development Agenda 01/04/2005 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Negotiators attending closed meetings at a UN body in Geneva in mid-April could shape the policy agenda for development and intellectual property for years to come, participants and observers say. It is not clear how the consecutive meetings at the World Intellectual Property Organisation will relate to one another. The first, an “intersessional intergovernmental meeting” […]
Consensus Slips On WIPO Patent Harmonisation Talks 10/03/2005 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A key group of developing countries this week sent a potential shockwave through fledgling efforts at the World Intellectual Property Organisation to restart talks on the international harmonisation of national patent laws. The 14-member “Group of Friends of Development” issued a statement on the outcome of a recent WIPO consultation in which general agreement was […]
WIPO Asked To Explain NGO Accreditation Process 23/02/2005 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has come under fire from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) fearing exclusion from key meetings in April on WIPO’s Development Agenda. But a spokeswoman from the Geneva-based U.N. body on Wednesday said it is complying with its mandate for meeting accreditations. “We are complying with the decision of the General Assembly, […]
WIPO Rekindles Patent Talks As Some Cry Foul 19/02/2005 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The World Intellectual Property Organisation on Friday announced a recommended path for future work on harmonising patent laws around the world. The announcement came after a two-day informal consultation with WIPO Director General Kamil Idris and a group of mostly like-minded nations in Casablanca, Morocco. Idris stressed in a release that the talks ending Thursday […]
“Deliverables” For Developing Nations Discussed By Hand-Picked WIPO Members 17/02/2005 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A group of nations hand-picked by the head of the World Intellectual Property Organisation on Thursday concluded informal consultations on ways to move the harmonisation of national patent regimes forward while addressing development concerns of some countries seen as delaying WIPO’s progress on the issue. Among the topics expected to be discussed during the consultations […]
Experts Debate Access To Knowledge 15/02/2005 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Intellectual property experts from a wide range of backgrounds are finding common ground in informal proposals to ensure the right of individuals to access knowledge, including possibly through a negotiated treaty at the U.N. The issue has come of age in the digital era, as intellectual property owners have sought to protect their rights in […]
Wealthy Nations Move Ahead With Patent Harmonisation 12/02/2005 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Washington, D.C.–The nations responsible for the majority of the world’s patent filings have agreed to move ahead with private negotiations to iron out differences in their patent regimes. The talks will take place outside the Geneva-based World Intellectual Property Organisation, where negotiations by the full body on patent harmonisation are stalled. The effort led by […]
Washington Patent Meeting Stirs Concerns 27/01/2005 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A meeting next week of the world’s top patent-producing nations to try to bring their patent regimes closer together is raising concerns among developing countries and others who perceive it as a threat to efforts to address development issues at a multilateral level. The closed meeting, on which public details are scarce, is expected to […]
WIPO Proposal for PCT Fee Increase rejected: the Search for 70 million Swiss Francs continues… 04/11/2004 by Isabelle Scherer for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The rejection at the recent WIPO Assembly of a Secretariat proposal to increase fees for patent applications filed under the terms of the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) has prompted a broader interest in WIPO’s financial management and its accountability to Member States. The proposal—designed in part to compensate for an expected shortfall of 70 million […]
US Vows to “Fight” the Push for WIPO Reform 04/11/2004 by Isabelle Scherer for Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments In an October 15 speech, the Director of the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Jonathan Dudas, vowed that the U.S. government will “fight” proposals that aim to “fundamentally change the WIPO charter and philosophy” away from its current focus on the promotion of intellectual property. In his keynote remarks at the Annual Meeting of […]
