Health Systems, Collaboration, Research Funding Before Innovation, Speakers Say 23/05/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The fight against epidemics cannot only rely on innovation, according to speakers at an event organised by the pharmaceutical industry alongside the annual World Health Assembly’s opening day. Strong health systems, collaboration of all stakeholders, preventive measures, and the ability to fund research are prerequisite to innovation, they said.
WHO Director Advocates Strong Health Systems, Warns Against Profit-Oriented Mechanisms 23/05/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The World Health Assembly opened today with World Health Organization Director General Margaret Chan repeating that this year has a record number of agenda items and over 3,000 participants. She slapped at profit-seeking mechanisms leading to “slow-motion disasters,” which put economic interests above concerns about well-being. In particular, she underlined the lack of research and development for antimicrobial treatments and the rise of chronic non-communicable diseases.
2016 ‘Most Important Year For Antimicrobial Resistance In Our Lifetime’ – WHO Official 23/05/2016 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment This year is profoundly important in humanity’s future ability to stave off resistance to antibiotics and other medicines, a top World Health Organization official said on the eve of this week’s annual World Health Assembly.
Ways To Follow The #WHA69 Opening Today 23/05/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The 69th World Health Assembly (WHA) opens today in Geneva, with well over 3,000 participants and a record number of agenda items. For the 12th consecutive year, Intellectual Property Watch has a dedicated team on the ground, bringing you informed, timely reports on the action, on the floor and behind the scenes. Below are some other ways to follow the action as well, including a handy list of Twitter hashtags for the week.
Guilty As Charged? Pakistan And The Special 301 Reports 23/05/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Owais Hassan Shaikh writes: According to the section of US law on Special 301 reports, a country may be considered a priority foreign country even when it is fully compliant with the WTO Agreement on the Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), the main multilateral agreement on IP rights today. Hence, this legislation and the determinations made in the Special 301 reports prioritize protection of commercial interests of the US nationals.
ICTSD: Specialised Intellectual Property Courts – Issues And Challenges 20/05/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The establishment of the WTO Agreement on TRIPS (Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights) and the proliferation of plurilateral, bilateral and regional agreements have significantly contributed to the increasing complexities of the intellectual property system. The emergence of new actors, reflecting conflicting expectations and the adoption of new trade agreements that often exceed the standards set by the TRIPS agreement, have resulted in a new density of rules that have further fragmented the international system. These developments have unavoidably called for further analysis by academics and stakeholders.
Can Patents Ever Be “Ever-Greened”? The Answer…They Are “Never-Greened” 20/05/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 9 Comments “Ever-Greening of Patents” has been an expression that has been extensively used in debates related to the global pharmaceutical industry at least since the last two decades. Interestingly, this term has never been statutorily defined and hence has been applied most freely by professionals, policy makers and politicians alike. It would be appropriate to objectively examine whether patents in any jurisdiction can ever be “ever-greened”. A fitting initiation to this debate is the very concept of what a patent is from the very first principles, writes Prabuddha Ganguli.
Bid To Overturn UK Plain Packaging Rules Dismissed – BBC 20/05/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment From the BBC: Uniform packaging rules for tobacco will be introduced in the United Kingdom on Friday after a legal challenge against the new law was dismissed by the High Court.
News Reports And Fair Dealing: Moneyweb v Media24 19/05/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The recent decision involving Moneyweb and Media24 (Moneyweb (Pty) Limited v Media 24 Limited & Another [2016] ZAGPJHC 81) is an important one for copyright lawyers in South Africa because it is the first time that two provisions relating to news reporting of the Copyright Act 1978 (the Act) have been judicially considered, namely, sections 12(1)(c)(i) and 12(8)(a). In fact, it is the first time that the application of the fair-dealing provision, section 12(1), has received any judicial consideration, whether in the context of news reporting or otherwise.
Washington Post- Colombia Battles World’s Biggest Drugmaker Over Cancer Drug 19/05/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment [From the Washington Post] BOGOTA, Colombia — Colombia’s government is giving pharmaceutical giant Novartis a few weeks to lower prices on a popular cancer drug or see its monopoly on production of the medicine broken and competition thrown open to generic rivals.