March Edition Of IP-Watch Monthly Reporter Available 15/03/2005 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A note to our readers: Publication of Intellectual Property Watch’s Monthly Reporter has resumed with the publication of the March edition. Monthly publications, available online and in hard copy after the first week of every month, feature an updated compilation of top stories appearing on the IP-Watch Website (www.ip-watch.org) plus an increasing number of in-depth […]
U.S. Seeks “High Level” IP Agreements In Middle East 14/03/2005 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Washington, D.C.–U.S. trade negotiators working toward bilateral free trade agreements with Middle Eastern countries are seeking to maintain the same level of intellectual property rights protection achieved in other bilateral deals, a U.S. trade official said Monday. “We want to have high standards” on intellectual property, Catherine Novelli, assistant U.S. Trade Representative for Europe and […]
Consensus Slips On WIPO Patent Harmonisation Talks 10/03/2005 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A key group of developing countries this week sent a potential shockwave through fledgling efforts at the World Intellectual Property Organisation to restart talks on the international harmonisation of national patent laws. The 14-member “Group of Friends of Development” issued a statement on the outcome of a recent WIPO consultation in which general agreement was […]
Clash Continues On U.S.-Central America Trade Deal 01/03/2005 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Protection of pharmaceutical patents may not be the biggest reason the Bush administration is struggling to line up congressional votes for a free trade agreement with five Central American countries and the Dominican Republic, but it remains critical to its passage. The issue pits two sides against each other within a larger, ongoing struggle to […]
WIPO Asked To Explain NGO Accreditation Process 23/02/2005 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) has come under fire from non-governmental organizations (NGOs) fearing exclusion from key meetings in April on WIPO’s Development Agenda. But a spokeswoman from the Geneva-based U.N. body on Wednesday said it is complying with its mandate for meeting accreditations. “We are complying with the decision of the General Assembly, […]
WIPO Rekindles Patent Talks As Some Cry Foul 19/02/2005 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The World Intellectual Property Organisation on Friday announced a recommended path for future work on harmonising patent laws around the world. The announcement came after a two-day informal consultation with WIPO Director General Kamil Idris and a group of mostly like-minded nations in Casablanca, Morocco. Idris stressed in a release that the talks ending Thursday […]
U.S. Official Cites Possible Chinese TRIPs Violations 18/02/2005 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment [Editor’s Note: This story was modified at 6.30pm on Friday 18/2/2005] Washington, D.C.—A key U.S. official based in Beijing on Thursday cited several ways that China’s interpretation of its criminal code may violate the World Trade Organisation Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPs). But Mark Cohen, the intellectual property attaché at the […]
“Deliverables” For Developing Nations Discussed By Hand-Picked WIPO Members 17/02/2005 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A group of nations hand-picked by the head of the World Intellectual Property Organisation on Thursday concluded informal consultations on ways to move the harmonisation of national patent regimes forward while addressing development concerns of some countries seen as delaying WIPO’s progress on the issue. Among the topics expected to be discussed during the consultations […]
US Tech Industry Urges More Patent Applications 16/02/2005 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Washington, DC–United States technology industry leaders today decried the rapid growth in research and development in major industrialized and developing nations, including the rapid rise in patent applications in Asia, and urged fast action by the US government. In calling for larger domestic R&D budgets, John Engler, president of the US National Association of Manufacturers, […]
Experts Debate Access To Knowledge 15/02/2005 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Intellectual property experts from a wide range of backgrounds are finding common ground in informal proposals to ensure the right of individuals to access knowledge, including possibly through a negotiated treaty at the U.N. The issue has come of age in the digital era, as intellectual property owners have sought to protect their rights in […]