China Continues High Growth In IP Filing, But Is There More To The Story? 04/02/2016 by Jahan Harry Taubman-Rezakhanlou for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Sheer intellectual property filings may not be the only or even best measure of innovation, but they are a closely watched economic indicator. Using what data it has, the World Intellectual Property Organization recently touted China’s continued massive growth in this area, particularly in patent applications.
Increasing Shortages Of Medicines Discussed At WHO, To Be Continued In May 02/02/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments There is an increasing shortage of medicines in the world, in particular in developing countries, but not only there, World Health Organization members said in last week’s Executive Board meeting. Discussions are ongoing on potential solutions and the agenda item referring to the issue was left open, to be brought to the World Health Assembly in May.
Special Feature: UN High Level Panel On Access To Medicines – First Reactions, Process Explained 01/02/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 8 Comments A high level panel of experts charged by United Nations secretary general to explore solutions to increase innovation and access to medicines in developing countries gave a briefing today to explain the process of the initiative. Intellectual property is often seen as both a barrier to the diffusion of health technologies and an innovation enabler.
WHO Board Debate: High Prices Sow Seeds Of Fake Medicines In Developing Countries 01/02/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Fake and poor quality medicines are still a growing public health concern particularly in developing countries, according to some World Health Organization members, who said at last week’s WHO Board meeting that the problem comes from the unaffordability of medicines and the lack of a strong surveillance system.
Evaluation Starts On WHO Global Strategy For Public Health, Innovation, IPRs 29/01/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment This morning, World Health Organization Executive Board members took note of a report by the WHO secretariat on the evaluation of the organisation’s global strategy and plan of action on public health, innovation and intellectual property. An inception report by the evaluation team was provided to the WHO in December, which has not been shared to the member states, according to the secretariat, although its results are expected to be presented to them in March. In the meantime, key points have been provided.
Internet Policy Task Force Seeks Changes To US Copyright Statutory Damages Law 28/01/2016 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The United States Copyright Act should be amended in a “very careful” way to change the way statutory damages are awarded to successful copyright owners against infringing individuals and online services, Shira Perlmutter, US Patent and Trademark Office chief policy officer and international affairs director, said today. She and John Morris, National Telecommunications and Information Administration associate administrator and internet policy director, unveiled a white paper by the Department of Commerce Internet Policy Task Force (IPTF) which, while proposing legislative changes to the damages provisions, also said no amendments are needed to the measure’s remix and “first sale” clauses.
UK IP Office Unveils 5-Year Strategy to Make Businesses More IP-Aware 21/01/2016 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The United Kingdom has a vibrant creative sector but many businesses don’t take full advantage of their intellectual property, IP Minister Baroness (Lucy) Neville-Rolfe said in her introduction to an Intellectual Property Office five-year strategy report released today. IPO research shows that over 90 percent of firms haven’t valued their IP, and small to mid-sized companies often don’t understand or know how to protect it, she said. Even a modest boost in those figures could have a significant impact on the UK economy, she said.
Panels Look At IP Considerations In Representing Creative Talent 19/01/2016 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment NEW YORK – At a conference of hundreds of performers and agents in a hotel perched on Times Square this week, panellists told some interesting stories about intellectual property rights and protecting – or failing to protect – creations and performances.
WIPO Training In Africa: Brand SMEs’ Products To Exploit Innovation And Commercialization 15/01/2016 by Hillary Muheebwa for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments KAMPALA, Uganda – Small and medium enterprises in Uganda should brand their products with geographical indications and collective marks to gain competitive advantage. This was one of the messages during a recent World Intellectual Property Organization event entitled, Advanced Training of Trainers Program on Effective Intellectual Property Asset Management by Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises, (SMEs). The training took place in Kampala, Uganda on 8-10 December.
Carmakers Open IP Vaults To Boost Electric Car Demand 12/01/2016 by Bruce Gain for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Several carmakers are aggressively sharing intellectual property and patents in a collective bid to help the fledging vehicle type catch on in the marketplace as a mainstream alternative.