How To Respond To A Cease & Desist Letter 21/10/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments US companies are generally known to be much more litigious than non-US companies. Thus, if you are a non-US company looking to enter the US market, it is prudent to understand the nuances of responding to a cease and desist letter. While cease and desist letters can be upsetting and sometimes confusing, there are a series of steps that companies can take to be better prepared in the event that they do receive one.
UPOV Sprouts A New Public Face – As Farmers Protest 20/10/2011 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment On the occasion of its 50th anniversary, the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) is trying to dispel its image as a non-transparent organisation and is working on a new user-friendly website with public access to a number of formerly reserved documents. Meanwhile, for the first time farmers protested outside the UPOV building in Geneva, as they seek to preserve the ancient practice of saving seeds from their harvests to use the next year.
UPOV Marks 50 Years; Breeders Seek More Enforcement, Civil Society Wants In 20/10/2011 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment This week the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) is celebrating its 50th anniversary. The Union is often criticised by civil society as being opaque, but plant breeders seem reasonably content with the latest version of the convention. However, some breeders that do not rely on seeds to reproduce their plants are seeking a clarification in the convention to prevent illegal use of their protected varieties.
WIPO To Launch New Drug R&D Database For Neglected Disease Licences 19/10/2011 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The World Intellectual Property Organization, in conjunction with the World Health Organization, private sector and foundation partners, is preparing to launch a new voluntary database for the sharing of intellectual property for research and development on medicines, vaccines and diagnostics for neglected diseases, according to sources in Geneva.
WIPO Members Embark On Busy Year Of IP Policymaking 17/10/2011 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment World Intellectual Property Organization members this month approved a range of reports from WIPO negotiating committees and took note of changes within the UN agency. Now with the annual WIPO General Assemblies over, work has begun on a hefty policymaking work programme this autumn. Here’s a rundown of what’s coming.
Recommendations For Navigating IP Terrain Emerge From UNITAID Forum 17/10/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The third consultative forum of drug-purchasing mechanism UNITAID held in Geneva on 4-5 October resulted in a set of recommendations related to intellectual property rights and medicines access. The forum provided the opportunity for a wide array of global health actors, industry and country representatives to review the organisation’s progress in the last five years and to provide input on its future activities.
Trade And Access To Medicines: Things The WTO Should Consider 14/10/2011 by Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments Some pending thorny issues linked with trade and access to medicines in developing countries did not come up at the September Public Forum of the World Trade Organization. As unsolved matters closely joining together trade and equitable access to medicines, they might serve as things the WTO should consider to help keep itself relevant and interesting, writes Daniele Dionisio.
Comings And Goings In The World Of IP 12/10/2011 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Resignations, retirements, appointments, and promotions are shaking up the status quo in the intellectual property world, opening the door of possibility for change in strategy and decision-making across industries and sectors.
With WTO Stalled, GI Industry Proponents Move To Create Their Own Register 10/10/2011 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment An international private-sector network lobbying for the protection of geographical indications is set to establish a compilation of all GIs currently protected in the world in what could seem like a response to the repeated failure of governments to agree on the establishment of a GIs register at the World Trade Organization. The Organization for an International Geographical Indications Network (OriGIn), meeting for its fifth General Assembly, also voiced concerns about the lack of protection of GIs in cyberspace.
As Bilateral Trade Deals Proceed, WIPO Hears Warnings, Calls For Change 04/10/2011 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment As some developed countries prepared to ink a secret plurilateral trade agreement against rampant global piracy and counterfeiting in recent days, leading emerging economies and non-governmental groups warned the World Intellectual Property Organization that such outside agreements need to respect broader societal impacts of IP rights enforcement or risk abuses of international rules on trade and development.