Biodiversity ‘EcoChic’ At UN: “Organic, Fair Trade, And Damn Sexy” 22/01/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments Biodiversity preservation is getting a makeover, or so hope the organisers of an “EcoChic” event at the Palais de Nations yesterday. Attendees strategised about how the fickle spirit of fashion might be harnessed to support the UN Convention on Biological Diversity’s access and benefit-sharing regime and sustainability goals, as staff carefully anchored helium-filled white lanterns above a normally staid conference chamber and participants balanced on noticeably higher heels than normally seen in UN corridors.
Year Ahead: Range Of IP Policy Issues May See Action In United States In 2010 21/01/2010 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment With the United States Congress attempting to wrap up healthcare – a move made more difficult after a Republican won a traditionally Democratic US Senate seat in January – issues such as tax increases for the nation’s largest financial institutions, energy reform and others may take centre stage. But that’s not to say there is not some room for intellectual property issues to be considered. Upcoming issues may include patent reform, biologic drugs, internet neutrality, enforcement, and performance rights.
New Intergovernmental Meeting At WHO Aims To Solve IP Rights And Influenza 20/01/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments A new intergovernmental negotiation, facilitated by the World Health Organization director general, will address an agreement for sharing virus-related materials and benefits and managing associated intellectual property rights in the WHO strategy for responding to pandemic influenza outbreaks.
GSK “Open Innovation Agenda,” Possible Malaria Vaccine 20/01/2010 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment CEO Andrew Witty of UK pharmaceutical manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline today announced the launch of an agenda on “open innovation,” through which it promises increased flexibility over its intellectual property as well as partnerships in which its facilities, infrastructure, and actual chemical compounds are accessible to researchers. Last year, GSK caused a stir when it announced that […]
Chan Launches Inquest On Leaked WHO Documents; Meetings Proposed On R&D Expert Report 20/01/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments The first public discussion of an expert report on how to finance the often costly process of research and development to create new medicines, vaccines and diagnostics needed by the poor to address diseases that disproportionately effect them began this week at the World Health Organization. There were immediate concerns about the last-minute release of the report’s full text and concerns from several governments that it came up short on critical areas, and it was decided that an informal consultation process will take place over the next few months. Meanwhile, World Health Organization Director General Margaret Chan said she has already begun an investigation to find out who leaked drafts of the expert group’s work to an international industry group in December.
IP System Soul-Searching In Face Of Success, System Overload 19/01/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The intellectual property system seems to be tight at the seams with a global overload of work for national IP offices and a backlog in patent requests. Further international cooperation and some adjustments are necessary to keep an efficient high quality IP system, according to speakers at a private-sector meeting in Geneva on 14-15 January.
Governments Scrutinise WHO On Pandemic Response, R&D Finance Group 18/01/2010 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The World Health Organization today declared it will launch a review of the global – including its own – response to the H1N1 swine influenza epidemic, as questions swirl around whether the UN agency trumped up the importance of H1N1. The WHO also faces charges this week that it has acted without transparency and inclusiveness in leading a process to find alternative financing for research and development into medicines for diseases occurring predominately in developing countries.
UN Report: Indigenous Rights Ignored In Global IP Policy 14/01/2010 by David Cronin for Intellectual Property Watch 6 Comments The cultures of indigenous peoples have frequently been ignored when global standards on intellectual property were being set, a new United Nations report has stated.
WHO Board To Address R&D Financing, Influenza 14/01/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Finding financing to develop medicines for under-researched diseases, regulatory harmonisation, and pandemic influenza preparedness will top the agenda at next week’s World Health Organization Executive Board meeting.
Year Ahead: Five Key IP Cases To Watch In The United States In 2010 11/01/2010 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment 2010 could be a big year for intellectual property law in the United States. Five cases now working their way through the courts may bring major changes to the country’s patent and copyright laws, affect hundreds billions of dollars in commerce, and enable a revolutionary new use for the internet.