Patent Pool-ViiV Collaboration On Paediatric HIV Sparks Reactions, Hope 04/03/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The Medicines Patent Pool has announced a ground-breaking collaboration with a private sector joint venture that it said will facilitate greater availability of critical medicines for children with HIV worldwide. The announcement caused a wave of positive reactions across the public health community, with many hoping for more in the future.
WIPO Patent Law Committee Cinches Agreement On Future Work 01/03/2013 by Rachel Marusak Hermann, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment With the threat of suspension of work looming, the World Intellectual Property Organization Standing Committee of the Law of Patents (SCP) agreed to a minimal programme of work, which includes exceptions and limitations to patent rights, quality of patents, and patents and health. Delegates made significant concessions on all sides, but the Africa Group expressed particular disappointment in the limited commitment to work on the patents and health topic.
Coalition Asks US Congress For Action On “Patent Trolls” 28/02/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment In an open letter to the US Congress House of Representatives Judiciary Committee today (27 February), a coalition of agencies, entrepreneurs, investors, and innovators, urged Congress to take action against “patent trolls, non-practicing patent-holding entities.
WIPO Members Struggle To Define Work Programme On Patents And Health 27/02/2013 by Rachel Marusak Hermann, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment As the World Intellectual Property Organization’s patent law committee grapples with starkly differing positions on the topic of patents and health, the secretariats of WIPO, the World Health Organization and World Trade Organization presented to members how their first trilateral study on access to medical technologies and innovation could be used as an effective resource. While the secretariats emphasised the neutral, informative nature of the book, some members pointed to a need for greater analysis of the challenges developing countries face when trying to use patent flexibilities for access to medicines.
Change to UK Patents Act Removes Infringement For Use Of Clinical Trial Data 27/02/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The United Kingdom government has announced a change to the UK Patents Act that it says will help keep the country’s life sciences industry at the forefront of innovation by removing certain risks of drug development companies infringing patents.
WIPO Patent Committee Moves Quickly Through Agenda; Heavy Lifting To Come 26/02/2013 by Rachel Marusak Hermann, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment After months of delay, the Standing Committee of the Law of Patents (SCP) opened a meeting on 25 February at the World Intellectual Property Organization and will endeavour to advance negotiations on highly contentious issues including quality of patents, patents and health, and exceptions and limitations to patent rights.
24 EU Members Sign Unified Patent Court Agreement 19/02/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Twenty-four members of the European Union today signed the unified patent court agreement in Brussels, including Italy.
Patent Outsourcing May Harm US Economy 18/02/2013 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments It has become routine for companies to outsource many business functions. Human resources, customer service, accounting, manufacturing of components – all have been outsourced. Now, however, a growing number of US businesses are outsourcing something new: patent licensing. And this outsourcing may hurt both the US economy and its patent system.
Obama Takes Swipe At Patent Trolls In Call For Further Reform 15/02/2013 by Kelly Burke for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment President Obama took aim yesterday at so-called patent trolls and said that further US patent reform is needed. He also called for a continued focus on protection of IP rights, but signalled a need for balance with openness.
EU Unitary Patent And Court Are Here. Or Are They? 14/02/2013 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment As several countries prepare to sign an international agreement establishing an EU unified patent court, debate still rages over whether the concept of the court, and of a single EU patent, is actually feasible. Some say a unified patent in the near term is a “dead letter,” while one patent lawyer believes that while some technical issues remain, the system will spring into life in the not-too-distant future.