US Patent Reform Bills And Jobs: Critical Timing, Critical Differences 04/03/2009 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The United States patent reform bills offered up Tuesday fall well short of what is needed to protect innovation and intellectual property rights, say myriad small tech companies, large-cap manufacturers, pharmaceutical firms and inventors. In fact, they say, it even threatens jobs at a time when the economy is in desperate need of them. But proponents argue that it is precisely the type of measure needed to promote jobs, reduce lawsuits and poor patent quality that put a drag on innovation and the economy.
US 2009 Trade Agenda Released 03/03/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment US President Barack Obama’s trade policy for 2009 is now available, and is available from the US Trade Representative website.
GI Label Yet To Benefit Indian Farmers 03/03/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Kerala province of India earned two geographic indications, or product names associated with a particular place and characteristics, on rice varieties in November 2007. But, more than a year later, the farmers who grow those strains still have yet to see any economic benefit, says LiveMint, a Wall Street Journal blog. Interviews with farmers […]
UN: Less Than 5 Percent Internet Penetration In Africa 02/03/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Many least developed countries have slipped further behind the most developed nations in information and communications technology access since 2002, the United Nations reported Monday. Sweden and its northern European neighbours again topped the list of the most connected countries, while African countries showed particularly troubling signs, with just 5 percent internet penetration – even […]
In Biotech Industry, Cash Flow Fears And Patent Questions 27/02/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Patent reform, universal health care, and intellectual property rights protection of new health and environmental technologies are critical not only for the biotechnology industry but for improvements in public health, the president of the Biotechnology Industry Organization (BIO) said Thursday.
Innovation Policy: The Balance Between Standards and Patent Regulation 26/02/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch 11 Comments By Georg Greve Interconnectivity, commoditisation and increased reuse and recombination are key trends within the maturing information and communication technologies (ICT) industry that drive innovation and development. Harnessing the innovative and economic potential of the ICT sector depends on a variety of factors, including open innovation models, such as free software.
Business Lobby On IP, US Commerce Secretary Nominee 26/02/2009 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Gary Locke, the former governor of Washington State, is the latest pick of US President Obama for Commerce Secretary. The US Chamber of Commerce, a business lobby group based in Washington, DC, has reviewed his record on intellectual property. Posted on their blog, the review lists past actions by Locke on IP enforcement, primarily to […]
Path Forward For UN-Led Internet Governance Forum Discussed 26/02/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment That there will be a future for the international Internet Governance Forum seems likely, though the form its future incarnation will take is not. Delegates to an open consultation on internet governance this week began to sort out some base modalities on how to evaluate the progress of the United Nations-led discussion venue, as a deadline approaches to decide whether and how the group will continue.
Drug Patent Linkage Is Subject Of Court Case, Dispute In India 25/02/2009 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Should national drug control bodies grant marketing licences to generic medicine companies only if their products do not possibly infringe existing patent rights? Yes, German pharmaceutical company Bayer told the High Court of Delhi last week when the court heard arguments in an ongoing court case on patent linkage.
Enforcement, Creative R&D Financing Priority Issues For Public Health in 2009 25/02/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The number and intensity of debates over the role of intellectual property rights in public health is set to increase in 2009. New leadership and new mandates for key intergovernmental organisations implemented last year have created opportunity for change. And while old debates over the balance between IP rights and access to health products are not going away, this year will see more exploration at the intergovernmental level of different systems to stimulate innovation.