Budget Debates Arise Again At WIPO; Development Fears Run High 10/12/2008 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By William New The World Intellectual Property Organization could be considered a financial stalwart of the United Nations system, self-funding and usually running large positive balances. But recent years have seen the rise in influence of developing countries at WIPO, and this week those countries are calling on the organisation’s new leadership to ensure their […]
Lamy Challenges Discontented WTO Members To Use TRIPS Public Health Review 09/12/2008 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By William New Confronted with longstanding assertions that World Trade Organization rules intended to bring greater access to medicines to poor countries are not working, WTO Director General Pascal Lamy said Tuesday discontented members should use the annual review of those rules if they have a complaint. “It is precisely to address these kinds of […]
Droits de propriété intellectuelle et organismes génétiquement modifiés : une combinaison fatale selon les activistes 09/12/2008 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Par Catherine Saez L’extension des brevets aux organismes génétiquement modifiés (OGM) et leur production dans de nombreux pays menacent les droits des agriculteurs et la biodiversité, la sécurité alimentaire dépendant de plus en plus d’une poignée d’entreprises transnationales de biotechnologie, selon les intervenants à un atelier qui s’est déroulé récemment à Genève. L’atelier a été […]
Rapid Rise In African Anti-Counterfeiting Efforts Led By Developed Nations 09/12/2008 by Nicholas Wadhams for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Nick Wadhams for Intellectual Property Watch NAIROBI, KENYA – Amid fears that huge quantities of counterfeit medicines and pesticides are pouring into Africa, the international law enforcement agency INTERPOL is leading the way to invest more effort and money to bring authorities up to speed on the threat faced by those who depend on […]
WHO Renews Delicate Effort On Pandemic Influenza Virus-Sharing 08/12/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Kaitlin Mara An avian influenza outbreak would be a public health disaster, but for the World Health Organization to adequately prepare for that risk, member states must come to a resolution on intellectual property issues related to virus and vaccine sharing. They hope to do so this week, as the Intergovernmental Meeting on Pandemic […]
Propiedad intelectual y organismos modificados genéticamente: una combinación que los activistas consideran fatídica 08/12/2008 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Por Catherine Saez Según los oradores de un reciente taller llevado a cabo en Ginebra, debido a la expansión del alcance de las patentes de organismos modificados genéticamente (OMG) y la aplicación de dichos cultivos en la mayoría de los países, los derechos de los agricultores y la biodiversidad están en riesgo, mientras que la […]
WTO: Progress On IP At Last; Consensus Still Uncertain 05/12/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Kaitlin Mara Delegates negotiating on intellectual property issues at the World Trade Organization were able to set aside procedural debates Friday and focus on substantive technical issues in the body tasked with creating a multilateral register for geographical indications on wines and spirits. The European Union, in a marathon intervention, provided answers to over […]
WTO IP Negotiations Lengthen As New Questions Put On Table 05/12/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Kaitlin Mara The body at the World Trade Organization tasked with negotiating a multilateral register for geographically-named wines and spirits began what could be several days of meetings Thursday with a question and answer session meant to find common understanding, but instead revealed just how deep the divide remains between the two sides. Sixty-one […]
Discussions Continue In Informal WTO Special Session On GI Register 02/12/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Kaitlin Mara The World Trade Organization body mandated to discuss a registry for geographical indications met Monday, with the only resulting agreement being to meet again later this week for further, more technical, discussions. Several ambassadors were present at the meeting, according to sources, indicating that in the lead-up to a possible ministerial this […]
IP And Genetically Modified Organisms: A Fateful Combination, Activists Say 02/12/2008 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Catherine Saez With the expanding scope of patents on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and the implementation of such crops in most countries, farmers’ rights and biodiversity are at risk, and food security has become dependent on a few transnational biotechnological companies, according to speakers at a recent workshop in Geneva. The workshop was hosted […]