WIPO Members Discuss Budget, Projects, Finance, Human Resources This Week 10/09/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment World Intellectual Property Organization member states are expected to take a set of decisions this week on the future budget of the organisation, and have to bridge a number of differences on programmes before the General Assembly taking place later this month.
New Draft South African IP Policy Receives Initial Positive Reactions 09/09/2013 by Linda Daniels for Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments The civil society collective formed to pressure the South African government to reform its patent act has cautiously welcomed the release of the country’s draft intellectual property policy.
US Working To Block UN High-Level Panel On Access To Medicines Ideas In Geneva And Capitals 22/01/2018 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The United States, possibly working with like-minded countries, is working to prevent the further spread among international organisations in Geneva of recommendations put forward by the 2016 United Nations High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines, considering them to be ideological driven and dangerous to economic growth. The comments were made by a US official speaking to a recent US industry event in Washington DC involving many of the US intellectual property attachès, at which two attachés from Geneva described latest developments and strategy for the coming year. A key message from attachès to industry: come to Geneva and engage, starting with this week’s Executive Board meeting at the World Health Organization.
IP World Enters New Year With Major Shift Of People In Pharma, Copyright 22/12/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment As a new year dawns, a lot of movement has been observed in the pharmaceutical industry with new key players taking the lead. Meanwhile, new delegates are covering IP issues in Geneva, and coordination of regional groups at the World Intellectual Property Organization makes its usual yearly shift for 2017. The copyright industry also saw major changes, and law offices have been busy hiring new partners.
Analysis: WTO Amendment On Access To Medicines Faces EU Conundrum 14/04/2016 by Peter Ungphakorn for Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments After waiting for over a decade, the World Trade Organization is finally close to achieving the first ever amendment to its rule-book, with only a handful of members still needing to formally accept new intellectual property provisions dealing with one aspect of access to medicines. Two thirds of the membership (108 of the WTO’s present 162 members) have to ratify or “accept” the amendment (on exporting medicines made under compulsory licence) before it can take effect. The number of accepting members is finally approaching 108. This has exposed a discrepancy in the way the European Union’s membership is counted. And that in turn raises questions over when the 108 is actually reached. Worse, the counting method the EU uses could even prevent some amendments ever taking effect.
Year Ahead In Internet Governance: Where The Internet Stewards Will Go In 2016 26/02/2016 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Transitioning of the Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) out of the United States government – or not – is the top issue of a narrower internet governance community in 2016. Yet looming behind the many high-level government events are some more controversial topics that are attracting a wider set of stakeholders: the unresolved issues of privacy, free flow of data, surveillance and encryption, as well as the security or rather insecurity of a space of networked machines, including military machines.
Global IP Community: Eventful Season For Career Changes 27/08/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The past few months have been eventful for career changes in the international intellectual property community. Here is a look at some of the changes in governments, international organisations, NGOs/academia, private sector and law offices.
Preparations Begin For Lisbon Revision At WIPO; Procedural Question Raised 15/10/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments The 28-member Lisbon Agreement for the Protection of Appellations of Origin and their International Registration is en route to being revised to include geographical indications and allow international organisations to join the agreement. But some other member countries of the World Intellectual Property Organization, which oversees the agreement, are raising procedural questions and intend on having a say on the revision. [Update: new proposal now available]
Is The Development Dimension Of WIPO Incompatible With Its Role Of IP Protection? 18/09/2014 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments The World Intellectual Property Organization is a successful United Nations agency if success is measured by its generated income and the number of international registrations of intellectual property titles. However, in its role as a norm-setting United Nations agency, the organisation has been struggling for the past year as member countries have quite a different view on its core objectives.
Fordham IP Event A Firehose Of Current IP Legal, Policy Debates 28/04/2014 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment NEW YORK – The annual Fordham Law School IP Law and Policy Conference held last week offered an intensive two days of in-depth legal issues in intellectual property, with a mix of perspectives from representatives of intergovernmental organisations, governments, courts, industry, and a smattering of public interest advocates.