UN Political Declaration On TB Finalised: No Commitment To TRIPS Flexibilities 24/07/2018 by David Branigan, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments Members of the United Nations concluded negotiations on the draft of the Political Declaration on the Fight Against Tuberculosis on 20 July. After weeks of heated negotiations over the inclusion of references to TRIPS flexibilities in the operative paragraphs, with the Group of 77 pushing for inclusion and the United States against it, the final text of the political declaration reflects the deadlock of these positions. Due to the inability of member states to reach agreement, the final text does not include substantive reference to TRIPS flexibilities. If no countries object, this final draft of the Political Declaration on TB will be adopted by the General Assembly at the High-Level Meeting on Tuberculosis, which will take place on 26 September at the United Nations in New York, and will serve as the authoritative agreement from which action plans will be drawn. According to sources, countries have until tonight in New York to decide whether to object, and G77 nations are considering their options.
NGOs: Countries Pressured To Drop Reference To Affordable Medicines In UN TB Negotiations 20/07/2018 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments United Nations members in the final days of negotiating the text of the declaration for a late September high-level meeting on tuberculosis have come under pressure from the United States to omit language referring to the importance of making affordable medicines available to patients in need, according to an urgent bulletin today from a health advocacy group.
WIPO Looks At Importance Of Standards Documents, Collaboration Of IP Offices And Standards Organisations 18/07/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Common standards are essential for technologies, particularly for interoperability. However, a number of technologies essential to standards are patented, which has created issues relating to licensing or high royalties. Last week, the World Intellectual Property Organization organised an information session on patents and standards, including aspects of patent quality, issues relating to international trade, and the role of the organisation in facilitating the relationship between patents and standards.
Albania Introduces New Trademark Regulation 17/07/2018 by Guest contributor for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A new trademark regulation entered into force in Albania on June 7, 2018, clarifying a range of issues raised by the changes to the Albanian Industrial Property Law in force as of March 24, 2017. Some of the most significant changes and clarifications concern the following:
Trading Partners Led By US, EU, Take China To Task In WTO Forum Over Weak Protection Of IP Rights 12/07/2018 by John Zarocostas for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Major trading powers led by the United States and European Union took China to task in a World Trade Organization forum today (11 July) over the county’s weak intellectual property rights regime.
Global Innovation Index 2018: China Breaks Into Top 20, US Drops Out Of Top 5 11/07/2018 by David Branigan, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment NEW YORK — The 11th edition of the Global Innovation Index 2018 (GII), co-published by Cornell University, INSEAD, and the World Intellectual Property Organization, was released yesterday at a launch event in New York. This year’s report showed Switzerland still at the top overall, China continuing to rise, the United States slipping, and explored how countries can vary on inputs and outputs of innovation.
Monopolies: State And Corporate Interests Surrounding Access To Medicines 10/07/2018 by Adithi Koushik for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Amongst the many issues faced by developing countries to ensure access to medicines, cost is a primary one. Proposals to tackle it include limiting the price and regulating competitive conditions. Monopolies created by patents are seen by many as an impediment to accessing basic healthcare. Meanwhile, countries have realised that imposing stringent criteria for granting patents and taking a long duration to process them could be detrimental to them as much as resisting the regime.
WIPO Publishes Guide To Tackling Issues In Access & Benefit-Sharing Agreements 09/07/2018 by Adithi Koushik for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization has published a guide to access and benefit-sharing agreements for use of genetic resources.
WIPO IP And Genetic Resources Committee Makes Progress Despite Block At End 02/07/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments It seemed last week that after years of mainly fruitless discussions at the World Intellectual Property Organization committee seeking ways to protect genetic resources, progress was achieved and some agreement was within reach. However, on the last day, the United States, supported by Japan, rose against the consensus on a draft text, provoking the ire of developing countries, and general disappointment.
Disclosure, Sanctions – Still To Be Overcome In WIPO Genetic Resources Negotiations 28/06/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Efforts to draft new language to bridge gaps in this week’s negotiations on a potential treaty protecting genetic resources at the World Intellectual Property Organization were praised by a number of participants. However, what is now presented as a “package” proposition, focusing the instrument on patents, left some developing countries with the feeling that the concessions they made on the patent-only focus are not being met with a similar efforts by others, in particular on a proposed disclosure requirement for patent applicants.