Chair: Compromise On TRIPS Issues Still Possible, If Broader WTO Talks Can Move 24/07/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Kaitlin Mara and William New Compromise on intellectual property issues at this week’s World Trade Organization ministerial meeting has been hard to find, but the facilitator of the IP talks said Thursday night that the possibility remains if the broader talks can proceed. Countries with a range of views met bilaterally with the chair […]
UNCTAD IP Activities Rise With Renewed Mandate; Greater Collaboration 24/07/2008 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Catherine Saez Intellectual property-related issues appear to be a clear policy focus of the United Nations Conference On Trade and Development (UNCTAD) as an IP mandate was reconfirmed by the 12th quadrennial UNCTAD conference in April and the organisation has been named by two other prominent UN agencies as a key stakeholder in this […]
Norway Chairs As Europe Replies GIs A WTO ‘Must’; Others Gear Up Biodiversity Push 23/07/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Kaitlin Mara with William New Key stakeholder nations on intellectual property issues at this week’s World Trade Organization ministerial in Geneva are holding consultations with the Norwegian foreign minister facilitating to iron out positions before meeting later tonight with WTO Director General Pascal Lamy, according to government sources. [Note: The meeting, which would have […]
IP Rights Holders Frown On Proposed Changes To WTO TRIPS Agreement 23/07/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Kaitlin Mara Some intellectual property rights holders and their representative governments are looking with concern at the drive to hold discussions on draft modalities for IP issues in this week’s World Trade Organization mini-ministerial. Letters sent early this week to the United States Trade Representative and European Union External Trade Commissioner by developed-nation industry […]
Talks But No Breakthroughs Yet On IP Issues For Ministers At WTO 21/07/2008 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By William New and Kaitlin Mara Intellectual property issues have been a topic of debate at the World Trade Organization ministerial negotiations since Friday and while there have been no changes in positions there has been some talk of looking for compromises, according to sources attending the event. Ministers from some IP-proponent countries raised the […]
New WTO Draft Modalities Text On IP Issues Gathers Wider Support 18/07/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment [Note: IP issues may be the subject of meetings between ministers and WTO DG Lamy over this weekend, according to sources.] By Kaitlin Mara and William New A new draft of proposed modalities for negotiating three intellectual property issues at next week’s World Trade Organization ministerial shows that proponents have gathered the support of the […]
Flurry Of Copyright, Interoperability Policy Activity At European Union 17/07/2008 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch In a flurry of intellectual property-related activity, the European Commission this week ordered copyright collecting societies to loosen their stranglehold on cross-border music licensing, proposed extending the term of copyright protection to 95 years, and launched debate on copyright exceptions on the internet. The Commission also adopted a […]
Panel: IP Rights In Standards Impede Competition, Disadvantage Developing Countries 17/07/2008 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Catherine Saez Standards and intellectual property rights appear to be worlds apart and to respond to opposite purposes, according to a recent panel of legal and policy experts. While standards are established to ensure compatibility in technology to the advantage of all users at national, regional or international levels, intellectual property rights are meant […]
New Rules On Generic Biological Medicines Under US Congressional Debate 17/07/2008 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Liza Porteus Viana for Intellectual Property Watch When Biotechnology Industry Organization CEO Jim Greenwood meets with members of the United States Congress to talk to them about follow-on biologics, he brings a graphic model of an aspirin and a DVD showing the complex molecules of a biologic drug. He uses these visuals to help explain the differences between traditional chemical drugs and newer, cutting-edge biological ones being used in many breakthrough therapies for cancer, multiple sclerosis, HIV/AIDS, and other diseases. The differences between traditional chemical drugs and biological ones is the crux of the debate going on in the United States as Congress and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) try to create a regulatory pathway that gives consumers greater access to cheaper, generic biological drugs, but still spurs innovation and protects innovator patent claims. “When the legislation was introduced at the beginning of this Congress, most pundits expected that we’d oppose it,” said Greenwood, a former House representative from Pennsylvania, told Intellectual Property Watch. “But that was a mistake the pharmaceutical industry made in the ’80s – trying to resist the notion you could safely make generics …our view at BIO is that we need to follow the science, and science says you can make follow-on biologics that can be safe and can save the consumer money and therefore we support it.”
Modalities Drafted For WTO Geographical Indications, Biodiversity Amendment 15/07/2008 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Kaitlin Mara A confidential draft text circulated recently among some World Trade Organization members reveals an attempt to consolidate separate proposals aimed at the protection of product names with location-related associations and characteristics (called geographical indications) and at the protection of biological diversity and traditional knowledge. Proponents appear to still be seeking support in […]