China Pulling The Cart To Propel Global IP Filings To New Heights, Trademarks Skyrocketing – WIPO 03/12/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Global intellectual property filing numbers kept rising unabated in 2017, as China continued to pull the numbers upwards. The World Intellectual Property Indicators 2018, published today, also showed what the head of the World Intellectual Property Organization qualified as extraordinary growth in trademark applications. And he remarked on the increasing importance of intellectual property in the contemporary economy.
Economically Sound And Fair Global Genetics Benefit-Sharing System Possible, Panellists Say 29/11/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt — UN Convention on Biological Diversity members were trying this week to address questions that were left open when its protocol on access and benefit-sharing was adopted eight years ago. One of them is how to deal with genetic resources which are not yet covered by the protocol. A side event to the biennial conference of CBD members this week presented a solution, which they say could provide a more efficient, cost-effective and fairer system of access and benefit-sharing, based on inventions protected by intellectual property rights.
Shared Indigenous Knowledge And Benefit-Sharing Needs Particular Attention, Panel Tells CBD 29/11/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment SHARM El-SHEIKH, Egypt — Traditional knowledge associated with genetic resources held by indigenous and local communities is often not confined to one group or one specific geographical location. Displacement whether cultural or forced, political redesigning of borders, and exchanges with other communities have all contributed to the dispersion of that knowledge. This shared knowledge poses an issue in the context of benefit-sharing of commercial benefits on inventions derived from this knowledge. A side event on the side of the biennial meeting of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity looked at how to address shared traditional knowledge.
New Database Documents The Power Of TRIPS Flexibilities 28/11/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Ellen ‘t Hoen writes: Medicines Law & Policy has published an on-line database of instances of the use of TRIPS flexibilities in public health contexts, titled the TRIPS Flexibilities Database. The publication of the TRIPS Flexibilities Database merits sharing a bit of its history because it has been a work in progress for some time. The database includes cases of actual use of TRIPS flexibilities and instances in which countries planned or threatened to use them. The collection of such cases started ten years ago as part of a research project to document and examine the uptake of the flexibilities contained in the TRIPS Agreement in medicines procurement.
New US ‘Compromise’ Proposal On Broadcasting Treaty At WIPO Stirs Fresh Negotiations 27/11/2018 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Members of the World Intellectual Property Organization copyright committee today are locked away in a private room negotiating on a draft text for global treaty to boost the rights of broadcasters. A key element of the debate, according to participants at this week’s meeting, is a new proposal put forward by the United States that seeks to clarify the scope of protection of the treaty and preserve national-level approaches.
Panellists To CBD: Funds Needed To Save Biodiversity, Genetic Resources Not In Nagoya Protocol Should Be Included 27/11/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment SHARM-EL-SHEIKH, Egypt – The access and benefit sharing protocol of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity is based on bilateral agreements between providers and users of genetic resources. There are, however, many cases where genetic resources are dispersed, and difficult to attribute to only one location. The issue is being discussed at the biennial meeting of the CBD member states, in particular the possibility of a global multilateral benefit-sharing mechanism to address those genetic resources not yet covered by the protocol. A side event yesterday explored the possible conditions and needs for establishing such a mechanism, and called for urgent action.
Gene Editing: Fears Lead To Call For Moratorium At CBD, Discussions Ongoing 23/11/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Gene editing techniques have opened the way to a new world of innovations. One of them is the potential eradication of malaria-carrying mosquitoes. What appears as a very attractive way to help with malaria eradication is denounced by civil society groups arguing that the technology is in its infancy. Wiping out entire species could have unforeseen environmental, health, and social consequences, they say. They are calling for a moratorium preventing the release of gene drive organisms in the wild. They also describe the gene drive mosquitoes as a Trojan horse, hiding broader interests of agricultural multinational corporations.
African Civil Society Outcry Over ARIPO’s Closed Decision-Making On Health And IP 22/11/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment As the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) Administrative Council meets this week, more than 60 civil society groups are calling for greater inclusion and more transparency on access to medicines and diagnostics. Signatories are asking for a review of the Harare Protocol on patents and industrial designs, and raised concern about over-reliance on advice of the United Nations intellectual property agency for decisions affecting broader public health in the region.
A Look At The Proposed EU IP Exception To Promote Generic, Biosimilar Industry Competitiveness 16/11/2018 by David Branigan, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The European Commission has proposed an exception to the extended period of patent protection that the European Union provides to original drug manufacturers for certain products, in order to boost the competitiveness of EU generic and biosimilar industries in global markets. The exception will allow EU generic and biosimilar companies to manufacture protected drugs for export during this patent extension period. Stakeholders are so far unhappy with the exception. Meanwhile, studies analyse its potential economic impacts and legal implications, and the Commission remains confident that safeguards it is putting in place will keep the lower-priced medicines from making their way back into the EU.
China’s Xi Jinping Signals Higher Focus On IP, Market Opening To Ease US-Sino Tensions, But Global Leadership Friction In Innovation To Persist 15/11/2018 by John Zarocostas for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment SHANGHAI, China — The President of China, Xi Jinping, in a keynote address on 5 November to political and business leaders attending the opening of the first China International Import Expo (CIIE) in Shanghai sent a strong diplomatic signal that Beijing will push ahead with further opening up of the economy to more international competition. In a move to try and ease US-Sino tensions Xi also indicated China will take proactive steps to boost protection of intellectual property rights (IPRs), including harsher penalties against violators – a major grievance for the United States and the pivotal issue in the escalating trade war between the world’s two largest economies.