WTO Members Launch Debate On IP And Innovation; LDCs Seek More Time To Enforce IP Rules 07/11/2012 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Members of the World Trade Organization intellectual property rights committee today launched their first-ever debate on IP and innovation. In addition, least developed countries formally requested an extension of their transition period to enforce WTO rules on IPRs.
Sizing Up The “Ill-Conceived” PAIPO Draft Statute 06/11/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The text of the Draft Statute of the proposed Pan-African Intellectual Property Organization does not support a clear basis for criticism, but the lack of a clear need to put resources toward a centralised African registration system, and the lack of transparency about the process signal that the idea is “ill-conceived,” writes South African lawyer Sadulla Karjiker.
WTO TRIPS Council To Consider New Brazil-United States Item On Innovation 05/11/2012 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Trade Organization member committee on the WTO intellectual property agreement meets tomorrow, with a new agenda item on intellectual property and innovation at the request of the United States and Brazil.
UPOV Hails Benefits of Plant Variety Protection; Civil Society Frustrated 05/11/2012 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) held a symposium last week on the benefits of plant variety protection as a way to help mitigate agricultural challenges and improve the livelihood of farmers. Also last week, during the UPOV Council, civil society denounced a push for a more stringent version of the UPOV Convention, and said new rules for observers were disappointing.
South-South Collaboration Needs Promotion, Better Reach, UNCTAD Report Says 02/11/2012 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment South-South trade and investment is growing and could lead to greater technology sharing but some countries are left out, particularly least developed countries, due to lack of technological capacity, according to a new United Nations report that also looked at intellectual property in the context of the rising South-South collaboration. Separately, UNCTAD also has begun consultations on joint work with the World Intellectual Property Organization.
Pharma Outlook: Don’t Yield On IP, Work On Trust-Building, Call For Global Cooperation 01/11/2012 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA) held its 26th assembly this week and elected its new president. He presented the future orientation of the industry group, saying will work on trust-building and needs predictability in the regulatory process, policies that sustain and encourage innovation, and a strong intellectual property system, he said.
UPOV Council To Formalise Access To Documents; Civil Society Seeks Greater Participation 29/10/2012 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Members of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) meet this week for their annual Council and a series of preparatory meetings. Meanwhile, civil society keeps pushing for greater participation.
Horticultural Breeders Call For Stronger Protection Of Innovations 23/10/2012 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The protection of intellectual property for plant innovation was at the heart of a recent conference on patents and modern plant breeders rights in horticultural breeding.
In Geneva, IP And The Catholic Church Are A Match Made In Heaven 17/10/2012 by Maricel Estavillo for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment With his distinctive clerical garb, Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi stood out in a sea of coat and tie-wearing dignitaries at the recent General Assemblies of the World Intellectual Property Organization in Geneva. His presence is a glaring reminder to every stakeholder in the room that intellectual property, often associated with excessive and self-serving patent wars these days, has a place in the Catholic Church.
Standards-Setting Organisations Increasingly Make IPR A Priority 16/10/2012 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Washington, DC – Standards guide many aspects of our lives. They instruct how telephones talk to each other, how the life sciences community shares information, how electrical devices are charged, and how the internet runs, among other things. It’s standard-setting organisations (SSOs) that facilitate discussions among stakeholders – including intellectual property owners and users – and produce common, typically voluntary technical standards to address needs and concerns of those using the technology. Companies need to make compatible or interoperable products that comply with these standards in order to compete in the global marketplace. And intellectual property is increasingly coming into play in the development of these standards.