European Union Prepares A New Intellectual Property Rights Strategy 15/10/2009 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments Intellectual property rights and their protection will be high on the agenda of the European institutions in the upcoming legislature, representatives from the European Commission, European Council and the European Parliament said at the first European Innovation Summit in Brussels yesterday. Stronger IP rights (IPR) protection was declared by representatives of all three institutions as indispensable to promote innovation and the knowledge society, while only a few voices were raised asking not to overreach in IPR regulation.
WIPO Members Step Up To Implement Development Agenda 15/10/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch and William New 1 Comment World Intellectual Property Organisation members are preparing to take the reins of the Development Agenda as it becomes clear that implementation success will depend on their actions. And their actions must not only be focused on specific projects such as patent databases but also on the broader spirit of the agenda for change at WIPO, key developing countries said.
ITU Panels: Innovation Makes ICTs A Moving Landscape; IP Dispute Resolution Rising 14/10/2009 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Innovation in information and communications technologies during the economic downturn has brought shifts in the landscape with new technologies and newcomers in the market, according to speakers at a symposium organised by the World Intellectual Property Organization Arbitration and Mediation Center on 8 October. Meanwhile, dispute resolution involving intellectual property rights is on the rise, they said.
Grupo de expertos considera que el acceso a los medicamentos seguros es una cuestión de salud pública y no de propiedad intelectual 14/10/2009 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Las iniciativas de lucha contra la falsificación podrían dificultar el acceso a los medicamentos sin que se logre paliar el problema de los fármacos falsificados, en particular en los países en desarrollo, según dijeron miembros de un grupo de expertos en un evento organizado recientemente por el Open Society Institute.
Development Agenda Conference: WIPO Can Enable Fair Technology Transfer 13/10/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch and William New Leave a Comment Development is to be a lead priority in the World Intellectual Property Organization, with the 2007 Development Agenda under implementation. But what a development-friendly intellectual property programme will look like in practice is not yet entirely clear. On 13-14 October at WIPO, stakeholders are gathered to discuss examples of development and IP and projects implementing the agenda.
Bangkok Climate Meeting Leaves Political Issues, Compulsory Licences Unresolved 12/10/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 7 Comments BANGKOK – Humanity may be facing the single greatest threat to its future in history, yet significant political disagreements still stand in the way of common action needed to combat what will be a common crisis. One potential blocking point appears to be whether compulsory licensing may be encouraged for poor countries needing climate technologies.
WTO Forum: Bypassing International Agreements May Hamper Medicines Access 11/10/2009 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Access to medicines in developing countries may be put at risk by European customs regulations and more broadly by trade provisions in most free trade agreements between developed and developing countries, said speakers at the recent World Trade Organization Public Forum.
IP Rights In Agriculture: High Stakes, Entrenched Positions At WTO Public Forum 08/10/2009 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The economic, climate and food crises were on the lips of speakers at the 2009 World Trade Organization Public Forum last week. Suggestions for better global governance were sought from stakeholders who took the podium in different sessions, and trade in agriculture was a focal point of the event.
Iceland Panel: French ‘3-Strike’ Rule Spreading But Not Best Option 07/10/2009 by Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment COPENHAGEN – A panel discussing the copyright challenges posed by social media at a recent conference in Iceland concluded that while new and stricter regulations as proposed in France may not be a bad idea, the best solution is to provide consumers with quality services for which they are willing to pay. Meanwhile, there are new developments at the European level.
New Text Shows Delegates Must Overcome Conceptual Differences On IP, Climate 06/10/2009 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment BANGKOK – Delegates gathered in Thailand to try and pull together a slow-moving UN negotiation on a plan to fight climate change have yet to bridge fundamental conceptual differences on key issues, including intellectual property. The vast majority of consensus found so far at the two-week informal gathering has been textual rather than political, said several participants.