Alleged R&D Costs: Not A Transparent Driver Of Drug Prices 04/03/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments Whether laws enforcing transparency on costs would help curb extortionate drug prices in today’s world is hardly predictable now that pharma companies and their allies are lobbying governments to scupper any rules that would require them to disclose the real R&D costs and profits of their medicines and the rationale for charging what they do, writes Daniele Dionisio.
European Patents Rising; EPO President Denies Retirement Package 03/03/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment BRUSSELS — Patents applications are on the rise in Europe the European Patent Office President Benoît Battistelli said today, with half of the applications coming from European inventors. The United States led followed by Germany, and Japan, and China showing a strong growth. The EPO president also announced the signature of an agreement with one trade union against a background of social unrest in the organisation.
IEEE Patent Policy Changes Seek To Put Brakes On Surging Litigation 03/03/2016 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Intense debate, reignited by a 2012 International Telecommunication Union roundtable on rampant patent litigation and the “innovation-stifling” use of intellectual property, together with the growing lack of standards bodies’ patent policies, prompted the IEEE Standards Association (IEEE) last year to revisit parts of its patent policy that had been causing some concerns, Managing Director Konstantinos Karachalios said at a 17 February Oxfirst webinar. The changes aim to clear up some ambiguities. Perhaps predictably, however, some pushback has arisen among industries affected by the change.
USTR Strikes IP Deal With Honduras On Generic Cheese, Signal Piracy 02/03/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The government of Honduras has committed to a work plan for protecting intellectual property rights that includes recognition of food names considered generic by the United States such as “parmesano” (parmesan), provolone and bologna, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) announced today. Other commitments include signal piracy related to cable and satellite, and a customs trademark registry.
TPP Is Obama’s Top Trade Priority For 2016 02/03/2016 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Passage of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement is the Obama administration’s top trade priority this year, the Office of the United States Trade Representative said in its annual trade agenda released today. The agenda highlights intellectual property protection but also says all the right things on copyright limitations and exceptions, safe harbor for internet service providers, and the ability of countries to use flexibilities under international trade law.
Uganda In Clinical Trials For Ebola Vaccine 02/03/2016 by Hillary Muheebwa for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment KAMPALA, Uganda — An Ebola vaccine trial is underway in Uganda, as the global search for an effective vaccine continues. The vaccine candidate was co-developed by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), part of the United States National Institutes of Health (NIH), and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), a United Kingdom-based pharmaceutical company.
Malawi Awaits Reviewed Copyright Law 02/03/2016 by Munyaradzi Makoni for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Artists in Malawi are hopeful that the Copyright Bill, drafted four years ago, will be discussed when the parliament meets in the first quarter of this year, paving a way to plug unauthorised use of works that they say has led to massive loss of revenue.
CETA Legal Review Completed, Now Off To Parliaments And Governments For Approval 01/03/2016 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The European Union and Canada have jointly announced the finalisation of the legal review for Canada-European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement (CETA).
Interview With EPO President Battistelli: Investigations, Unitary Patent And Global Change 29/02/2016 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments The saga of fights between the President of the European Patent Office, Benoît Battistelli, and the trade union SUEPO goes on with a recent decision to fire two and degrade one member of the trade union. Demonstrations at both the Netherlands and the Munich sites of the EPO continue, and further divisions between the president and the EPO Administrative Council are being reported. Battistelli spoke with Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch in January about his view of the fight and about what else he has on his plate as he had decided to continue for one more term in office.
East Africa Pharma Summit Examines Linkages Between Domestic Policies, Industry, Trade And Health 29/02/2016 by Fredrick Nzwili for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment NAIROBI, Kenya — As the budding East African pharmaceutical industry shows clear gains , experts at a pharmaceutical summit in Kenya underlined the sector as key to tackling challenges related to access to essential medicines in the region.