ACTA Risks Long-Term Damage To Democratic Public Policymaking, NGOs Say 30/06/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch and Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment An agreement on international intellectual property rights enforcement now under negotiation in Lucerne, Switzerland runs the risk of ushering in a new and undemocratic precedent for international policymaking that could have long-term damaging effects on critical public policy issues, non-negotiating government representatives and civil society advocates said this week.
Scope Of Anti-Counterfeiting Agreement Again A Big Issue In Round Nine 26/06/2010 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment MUNICH – The staid little Swiss town of Lucerne this week sees round number nine of the negotiations for the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). While the 11 negotiating parties gather in the Palace Hotel, the Swiss Pirate Party together with their Pirate colleagues from Germany and Switzerland will organise a rally at the Lucerne train station.
The Biosimilars Pathway: An Invitation To Litigation 11/06/2010 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Lynn C. Tyler writes: The litigation provisions of the recently-enacted legislation establishing a pathway to bring biosimilars to market contain “patent” ambiguities in key areas, particularly whether the various lists of patents to be litigated are exclusive. Courts will have to resolve these issues over the next several years, likely at great (and unnecessary) expense and uncertainty to litigants.
FIFA, Vuvuzelas And Facebook: The Global Trophy Of IP Protection 11/06/2010 by Emma Broster for Intellectual Property Watch and Cheikh Kane for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment In the run-up to the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup in South Africa, sometimes described as the biggest marketing event in the world, there have been a number of instances where FIFA and local businesses have conflicted over the use of terms to advertise their products.
New Rwanda IP Policy Taps Information For Development 08/06/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment “Information is the lifeblood of development,” says the government of Rwanda in a recently-adopted intellectual property policy, part of the country’s comprehensive development strategy. The new policy attempts to integrate Rwanda into the international IP system while simultaneously safeguarding the freedom it needs to drive its own innovation system.
June Edition Of IP-Watch Monthly Reporter Now Available 08/06/2010 by Intellectual Property Watch, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Intellectual Property Watch Monthly Edition features top news on international IP policymaking, the latest on who is coming and going in the international IP community, news briefs and more. The June edition is now available for subscribers at: http://www.ip-watch.org/user/newsletter.
Public Gets A Taste Of WIPO, Policy Debate On IP And Environment 07/06/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Dressed in casual weekend attire with white and blue “WIPO Staff” t-shirts, World Intellectual Property Organization personnel on 5 June gave explanations and guidance on intellectual property rights to the public, while a blimp-shaped balloon advertised the event outside the building. The WIPO lobby was turned into an intellectual property fair with stands displaying the range of WIPO’s services, and a much-appreciated wine tasting.
EU Generics Producers’ Plan For Market Access 04/06/2010 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment “Increasing generic medicine market penetration is the fastest way towards considerable and sustainable savings for healthcare systems in Europe” was the message of European Generics Association President Didier Barret to delegates at the group’s annual meeting, held in Rome on 3-4 June. A sustainable generic medicines industry must be based on three pillars, he said: […]
As WTO Reviews China, EU, US Criticise Its Policy On Innovation, IP Rights 03/06/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment In the past two years, China has acted to improve the protection of intellectual property rights with a need for continuing effort, a World Trade Organization report has found, but the country came under criticism this week from key trading partners such as the United States and the European Union for not providing adequate enforcement and for self-serving innovation practices.
Double-Barrelled Databases: WIPO GOLD And USPTO-Google 02/06/2010 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Today two separate search engines for intellectual property rights were announced in Geneva and Washington, DC, both of which have the potential to significantly ease searches for patents, trademarks and other IP. The World Intellectual Property Organization on 1 June launched WIPO GOLD, a free online global resource for accessing its databases. The new feature […]