New Paper On Common Issues In WIPO TK, Genetic Resources Talks 13/06/2014 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The chair of the World Intellectual Property Organization traditional knowledge and genetic resources committee has circulated a draft paper on common issues in the negotiations, in hopes of bringing parties closer together ahead of the next committee meeting in July.
WIPO Report Indicates Unprecedented Rise In Renewable Energy Tech Innovation 13/06/2014 by Julia Fraser for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A new report commissioned by the World Intellectual Property Organization shows a huge increase in patent filings related to renewable energy technologies relative averages. The patent landscape in this area indicates that innovation is taking place across a greater geographical scope, and is shifting towards the global East. The report, presented this week, opens up questions for policymakers, and for further research regarding drivers for these trends and other measures of innovation.
Nations Eye Amendments To PCT, WIPO’s Top Revenue-Earning Treaty 10/06/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Patent Cooperation Treaty is a cornerstone of the World Intellectual Property Organization and provides its main source of revenue. This week, a working group is gathered to explore proposed amendments to the treaty regulations, including fee reductions for developing countries, small businesses and non-profits.
WIPO Chief Calls for Seamless, Global, Legal Digital Content Regime 06/06/2014 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments ATHENS – In what the representative of a major consumer group called a “big step,” World Intellectual Property Organization Director General Francis Gurry on 6 June called for development of a seamless, global, legal, digital content marketplace that could offer the chance to bridge seemingly intractable copyright issues. Speaking at a conference in Athens hosted by the Greek EU Presidency on copyright and Europe’s digital agenda, Gurry said the search for such a market should take the form of a dialogue that includes all stakeholders.
Shifting Sands In The Global IP Community 05/06/2014 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Just as the world of international intellectual property law and policy is ever-changing, so are the faces within it. The US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) has a new deputy director in Silicon Valley veteran Michelle Lee, who has been acting as director. Many changes occurred at the US Trade Representative’s office, including the naming of a top tech industry lobbyist as deputy USTR, the return to Geneva of a key US figure at the WTO, and the defection of a top IP negotiator to the copyright industry.
IP-Watch Interns Provide Fresh Perspective, Solid Reporting 04/06/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment This spring, Intellectual Property Watch has had the pleasure of welcoming three talented interns/researchers who have provided not only their expertise but their enthusiasm for all aspects of intellectual property and have made an excellent addition to the team.
Open AIR Research Project On African IP Presented At WIPO 04/06/2014 by Maëli Astruc for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Open AIR project has gone global. The research project’s findings were presented in a recent side event at the World Intellectual Property Organization. The findings, published in two books, assess how people from different African countries and sectors consider and use intellectual property and present three possible scenarios about how people will innovate in the next two decades.
Innovation Occurs In Informal Economy, Needs Policy Framework, Panellists Say 03/06/2014 by Maëli Astruc for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Findings of a World Intellectual Property Organization Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP) project show that innovation occurs in the informal sector, and generates employment and development. Panellists at a recent side event to the CDIP called on policymakers to be mindful of this sector and implement policy frameworks, in particular in developing countries.
WIPO Committee On Development Has To Settle Again For Meagre Results 26/05/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The World Intellectual Property Organization committee on development closed last week with little to show after a week of unyielding opposing positions on every sensitive issue by several countries. Frustration was palpable as those issues were sent to the next session for further discussions, with the risk of renewed disagreement.
Crisis At WIPO Over Development Agenda; Overall Objectives In Question 24/05/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The World Intellectual Property Organization Committee on Development and Intellectual Property finished a weeklong meeting yesterday having not achieved the week’s goals and with harsh words from delegates calling into question the very functioning of the organisation. At the heart of the dissent is WIPO Development Agenda and its implementation in the United Nations agency.