WIPO Development Committee To Hear Report On Implementation, Discuss Patent Flexibilities 17/04/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Member governments will discuss the development dimension of the World Intellectual Property Organization next week, looking in particular at how the United Nations organisation is implementing the recommendations of its Development Agenda in its activities.
Whistleblowers: Little UN Protection For Exposing Wrongdoing 10/04/2015 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments From AP: High-profile whistleblowers have joined forces for the first time in demanding that the United Nations change a global system they say deters its thousands of staffers from exposing crime, corruption and other wrongdoing. In a letter sent to Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon on Wednesday, nine current and former U.N. workers say current policies offer “little to no measure of real or meaningful protection” from retaliation that can include firing, harassment and intimidation.
WIPO Seminar On TK, Genetic Resources: Variations In Public Domain, Disclosure 09/04/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The concept of public domain was born out of the intellectual property system, according to some. However, what constitutes the public domain depends on national interpretations. A recent seminar organised by the World Intellectual Property Organization was an occasion for speakers from diverse horizons to present their experience in the context of traditional knowledge and genetic resources. The relevance of a disclosure requirement in patent application to prevent wrongful patents was also discussed. [Note: Article 2 of 2]
WIPO Seminar Displays National Efforts To Protect TK, Folklore 08/04/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments A recent seminar convened by the World Intellectual Property Organization shed light on national and regional legislations protecting traditional knowledge, folklore and genetic resources, and provided examples of misappropriation. WIPO has a committee dealing with these issues but disagreement among members on its work programme prevented the organisation from organising any meeting of the committee so far this year. [Note: Article 1 of 2]
Interrelations Between Plant Treaty, UPOV, WIPO, Farmers’ Rights – Do They Equate? 02/04/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 6 Comments Farmers’ rights are enshrined in the international plant treaty. However, their implementation is an ongoing issue, which the plant treaty is seeking to address by looking at the interrelation that might exist with other international instruments. Separately, civil society is asserting that the World Intellectual Property Organization favours the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) in its technical assistance. But the WIPO Director General countered that this is decidedly not the case.
Standstill On Industrial Design Treaty, Country Names, GIs In WIPO Committee 20/03/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Hopes to gain ground in discussions toward a procedural treaty on industrial design applications were not met this week at the World Intellectual Property Organization. Meanwhile, proposals on the protection of geographical indications on the internet and on a potential international GI filing system were put on hold until the next session of the committee.
All WIPO Filings On The Rise, Serving Mainly Developed Economies; Telecoms Increase 19/03/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Today, the World Intellectual Property Organization released the 2014 numbers of filings for its systems for patents, trademarks, and industrial designs, which form the basis of the revenue of the UN organisation. Filings under the three systems grew in 2014, with a notable presence of telecom companies in patent filing activity. Except for China, top filers in the three systems are developed countries. Also noted was that so far, the significant increase in internet domain names has only led to a slight rise in new domain dispute cases.
Central European Countries Establish Visegrad Patent Institute To Reduce Costs, Facilitate Applications 18/03/2015 by Jaroslaw Adamowski for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment WARSAW – In a move towards increased regional cooperation in the field of intellectual property, Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic have signed an agreement to set up the Visegrad Patent Institute (VPI). And representatives of the parties to the agreement say that their ambitions reach further, towards ensuring the recently-established body becomes a regional hub for patent cooperation in Central-Eastern Europe.
WIPO Members Discussing Industrial Designs, Geographical Indications This Week 17/03/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment World Intellectual Property Organization member governments are meeting this week to try to advance a proposal to convene a high-level negotiation for a procedural treaty on industrial designs. They also are discussing how geographical indications should be addressed in the committee on trademarks, industrial designs and geographical indications.
IP-Watch Geneva IP Delegates List Updated 17/03/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Intellectual Property Watch offers a partial list of the government delegates in Geneva with responsibility for intellectual property issues at the United Nations and World Trade Organization. The newly updated list is now available, exclusively for subscribers. [Note: IP-Watch content is free to most developing countries, just register online here]