Funding Injection For New Antibiotics: The CARB-X Transatlantic Partnership 30/03/2017 by Kim Treanor for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A partnership of government agencies and organisations in the United States and United Kingdom have announced an investment of up to US$48 million into the development of new antibiotics and products to fight antibiotic resistant bacteria, with the aim of having two new antibiotics in human trials in the next five years.
WTO Job Opening For Legal Analyst On TRIPS Agreement 30/03/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Trade Organization has issued a call to hire a legal analyst specialised on intellectual property law, including the WTO Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS).
17 Civil Society Groups Urge EU To Support WHO Resolution On Cancer 30/03/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A range of civil society organisations today issued a letter to European Union leadership urging support for a World Health Organization resolution that mandates a feasibility study on a fund for cancer research and development that delinks R&D costs from the price of health technologies.
USPTO Director Lee Emerges From Silence, Praises Latin America For Joining Patenting Scheme 29/03/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), Michelle Lee, today resurfaced after weeks of silence, speaking after the trilateral meeting of the US, European and Japan patent offices. Among her remarks was praise for Latin American countries for joining the Patent Prosecution Highway, which she said has already resulted in much faster patents in the region.
New Draft Work Programme On GIs At WIPO; Industrial Design Pushed To General Assembly 29/03/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A tentative way to continue conversing about geographical indications (GIs) at the World Intellectual Property Organization committee on trademarks and GIs was tabled by the committee chair today. The suggested approach includes a questionnaire to member states on the different ways GIs are addressed by national and regional systems. Meanwhile, a potential design law treaty was pushed off to the next WIPO General Assembly, held in autumn.
Developing Countries Weigh Restarting Talks For TRIPS Amendment On Biological Resources 29/03/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment NEW DELHI, India — Biopiracy is ongoing in many developing countries, and as long as there are no international obligations for patent applicants to disclose the origin of the genetic resources or traditional knowledge they use, the issue will endure, according to speakers at a recent conference in New Delhi. The broken conversation at the World Trade Organization needs to be rekindled so that an international regime of protection is set up, they said.
Large Amount Of Consumer Tech Is Counterfeit, OECD Report Finds 29/03/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Nearly 20 percent of mobile phones and 25 percent of video game consoles sold internationally are counterfeit, and the numbers are rising, according to a report by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
WHO Flu Framework Looks At Virus Genetic Information Sharing, Private Sector Contribution 28/03/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments How to deal with genetic information rather than physical samples of pandemic influenza virus continues to be discussed at the World Health Organization. For the moment, only physical samples are part of a framework of access and benefit sharing set up and run by the WHO. This week, the framework advisory group is meeting and according to sources, suggested steps to establish guidance on how to address virus genetic information will be shared by the WHO during the meeting.
Civil Society From 17 European Countries File Patent Opposition On Key Hepatitis C Drug 27/03/2017 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Public health group Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) announced today that it has joined civil society organisations from 17 countries in Europe in filing a patent challenge at the European Patent Office to Gilead’s patent on sofosbuvir, an important treatment for hepatitis C.
UK Professor Charts Path To Reconciling IP Rights, Farmers’ Rights 27/03/2017 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The role of farmers in agricultural innovation can be perceived in different ways. Proponents of intellectual property rights view farmers mainly as recipients of innovation, while others view farmers as main drivers of innovation. Considering those seemingly contradictory points of views, some measures could help reconcile IP rights and farmers’ rights, a UK professor in international governance has said.