WHA Committee Bans IP Reference In Substandard And Falsified Medicines 30/05/2017 by Elise De Geyter for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The “delicious acronym SSFFC” – as described by Marie-Paule Kieny, assistant director-general for Health Systems and Innovation at the World Health Organization – will no longer be used by WHO to describe substandard and fake medical products, when a committee’s decision is adopted by the full World Health Assembly tomorrow. And key to this decision is that protection of intellectual property rights is not a competence of the UN health agency.
Plain Packaging For Tobacco Products: WTO Dispute Settlement Body Allegedly Backs Australia 05/05/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments According to many media this morning, citing anonymous sources, the World Trade Organization Dispute Settlement Body has reached a decision in a dispute challenging Australia’s tobacco product plain packaging law. Australia appears to have won the case. The WTO is non-committal and says only a “confidential interim report” has been circulated. Australia is not commenting.
‘E-Commerce Offers Opportunities, But Many Challenges To SMEs’ 02/05/2017 by Peter Kenny for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments E-commerce represents the micro and the massive in business. It offers tremendous potential for business enterprises to access global markets and is there for organisations such as sole traders through small and medium outlets to global giants such as Alibaba and Amazon. For its third E-Commerce Week from 24-28 April UNCTAD (the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development had the theme, “Towards Inclusive E-Commerce.”
The Global Debate On IP, Trade And Development: Past, Present and Future 29/04/2017 by Guest contributor for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Register Now for The Global Debate on Intellectual Property, Trade and Development: Past, Present and Future – A Conference in Honour of Pedro Roffe, taking place on 15 June at the University of Geneva, Uni-Bastions, Geneva, Switzerland. Registration is open and free, see details.
TRIPS Flexibilities Under Threat From Investment Disputes: A Closer Look At Canada’s “Win” Against Eli Lilly 27/04/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments Cynthia Ho writes: In the first known investment dispute regarding patents, Eli Lilly & Co v. Canada, Canada recently prevailed over the pharmaceutical giant Eli Lilly. Although Canada won in a unanimous decision, the ruling does not, however, guarantee domestic discretion going forward, contrary to the suggestion of some.
E-Commerce Is For Young People, Small Enterprises, Regulation Not Essential, Alibaba Founder Tells Geneva 27/04/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Electronic commerce should be the realm of young people under 30 and of small enterprises, according to Alibaba founder Jack Ma, speaking at an event on digital trade in Geneva this week. He also pressed countries to just get on the e-commerce train, and worry about regulations later. Meanwhile, World Trade Organization Director General Roberto Azevêdo said at the same event that without help small companies would no better survive the competition of large companies online than they did in the real world.
WTO IP Division Director’s Thoughts On World IP Day 26/04/2017 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Antony Taubman, director of the World Trade Organization Intellectual Property Division, has been in a good position to view the world and intellectual property for some time. Today, designated as World IP Day, we caught up with him to ask his views on the theme this year.
E-Commerce Serving Mostly Rich Economies; UNCTAD Launches Online Platform For Inclusivity 26/04/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments Electronic commerce is booming but mostly for high income economies, speakers said at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD), which is holding a weeklong event on digital trade. Technical assistance is needed for developing countries to hop on the e-commerce train, they said, as UNCTAD launched a platform designed to help developing countries navigate the arcane of electronic trade.
Developing Countries Lay Out E-Commerce Plan As Basis For WTO Ministerial 25/04/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A group of ministers from developing countries today released a roadmap for global digital commerce discussions, aimed at paving the way to discussions on electronic commerce at the World Trade Organization ministerial conference in December.
Civil Society-Led Monsanto Tribunal Finds Agro-Giant Guilty On All Counts 19/04/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment An international civil society tribunal has found that agro-business multinational Monsanto conducts activities that violate basic human rights. The five international judges of the Monsanto Tribunal presented their condemning verdict yesterday.