WIPO Extraordinary General Assembly To Meet On 10-12 December 04/11/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The World Intellectual Property Organization has scheduled an Extraordinary General Assembly from 10-12 December, in order to complete unfinished work from the annual WIPO General Assembly in September.
IP Scores High In Sports – Supports Amateurs, Olympics, Development, Speakers Say 16/10/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Alongside last week’s meeting of the World Trade Organization intellectual property committee, the United States, European Union and Jamaica organised an event on the relevance of intellectual property in sports. Speakers from professional organisations such as the International Olympic Committee, the Association of European Professional Football Leagues, and the Nike company were invited to share their experience in the matter.
US Signs WIPO Marrakesh Treaty On Copyright Exceptions For The Blind 11/10/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The United States has signed the World Intellectual Property Organization Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired or Otherwise Print Disabled.
Right To Benefits Of Science: Human Rights Meet IP Rights 10/10/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments A seminar on the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications was held at the United Nations last week with panellists exploring the intersection between intellectual property and human rights in the context of public health, agriculture, and the role of flexibilities to achieve balance between private and public interests.
Perplexed About International Policy On GR, TK and TCEs? Here’s A Book 08/10/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments Two scientists with a connection to Geneva have published an unorthodox e-book entitled, Guide for the perplexed entering the Maze of Genetic Resources Traditional Knowledge and Folklore.
Trade Secrets Important But Neglected, IP Experts Say At WTO 07/10/2013 by Alessandro Marongiu for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Academics and experts from international organisations met last week at the World Trade Organization to discuss the role of know-how in today’s global economy, stressing the relevance of trade secrets in global value chains and international transfer of technology.
WIPO Looks At Measuring Innovation; ITIF Sees Need For Policy Shift 04/10/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The innovative capacities of countries cannot be measured with a simplistic matrix, taking only into account the number of patents or the research and development expenditures, said a World Intellectual Property Organization official. Meanwhile, WIPO’s views were buttressed by an expert from the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation.
WIPO Members Get Stopgap Deal On IP And Development, Others Down To The Wire 02/10/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The membership of the UN World Intellectual Property Organization in its celebrated annual General Assembly have spent most of the last few days in informal small groups behind closed doors, trying to reach agreements on issues that seem simple but for them, go to the heart of the organisation’s functioning.
WIPO “Theatre”: Supporters, Critics Of WIPO Administration Face Off 01/10/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The inner workings of United Nations agencies can be very complicated, with clashes of cultures and management styles and any number of pressures. The case of the UN World Intellectual Property Organization appears to be a particular example in this respect.
Plurilateral Agreement On Geographical Indications On Its Way At WIPO 01/10/2013 by Alessandro Marongiu for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Last week, WIPO members that are parties to a special agreement on the protection of appellations of origin agreed to convene a diplomatic conference in 2015 to adopt a revision of the 1958 Lisbon Agreement. The revised treaty would extend to all geographical indications the protection already granted to appellations of origin. The decision to convene a diplomatic conference, however, stirred up controversy with a number of WIPO members that are not parties to the treaty.