Diverging Views On IPR Protection Needs In Africa Emerge At IP Workshop 25/03/2013 by Rachel Marusak Hermann, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Dar es Salaam, Tanzania – Nigeria’s booming film industry, born in an intellectual property-free environment, was presented as a case study of how IP needs may vary depending on context during a recent workshop organised by the US Commerce Department. In parallel, representatives of multinational brands and law enforcement delivered a strong message on the gravity of counterfeit trade, highlighting its link to organised crime.
US Supreme Court To Hear Arguments On Pay-For-Delay Drug Deals 23/03/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The United States Supreme Court is scheduled to hear oral arguments on Monday in a case in which the US Federal Trade Commission is questioning payments made by brand name pharmaceutical companies to generic producers for delayed entry into the market of lower priced generics.
Conference Addresses Current Issues For Corporate IP Counsel 22/03/2013 by William New and Kelly Burke for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment New York – A conference here this week aimed at corporate counsel for intellectual property addressed a range of issues of interest to that audience.
At US-Led Workshop, African Stakeholders Call For “Home Grown IP Agenda” 20/03/2013 by Rachel Marusak Hermann, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Dar es Salaam, Tanzania – In a re-cast, smaller version of the event that was planned and postponed last year, the US State Department’s workshop on IP utilisation and protection in Africa opened yesterday. It is co-organised by the African Intellectual Property Group (AIPG), a new pro-IP association of stakeholders across the continent, which says it’s time for Africa find its own voice on intellectual property issues.
US Supreme Court Applies First Sale Doctrine Worldwide 19/03/2013 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Today, the United States Supreme Court handed US copyright owners a stinging defeat. The decision in Kirtsaeng v. John Wiley & Sons dramatically slashes the ability of US copyright owners to control copies of their works. And in so doing, the 6-3 decision blows a huge hole in the global marketing strategy of movie, TV, book and software companies.
Tuberculosis: WHO, Global Fund Call For Mobilisation Of Funds As Resistance Rises 18/03/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments Tuberculosis is now a renewed threat, with strains that prove resistant to multiple drugs and are transmissible and the potential to spread widely, according to the World Health Organization and the Global Fund, which are looking for US$1.6 billion a year to prevent the spread of the disease.
Practitioners Discuss Interconnection Between Professional Sports And IP 18/03/2013 by Tiphaine Nunzia Caulier for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A recent conference of AROPI (Association Romande de Propriété Intellectuelle), an association of intellectual property practitioners in French-speaking Switzerland, examined how sports and IP interact.
African Ministers Focus On IP Role In Innovation For Development; Less On Flexibilities 18/03/2013 by Rachel Marusak Hermann, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments Dar es Salaam, Tanzania – The role of innovation as a driving force of social, economic, and environmental development is one of the central themes in post-2015 global development agenda discussions. In a ministerial-level meeting with guidance from the World Intellectual Property Organization last week, African policymakers outlined what they would need to foster innovation at home. Among a list of recommendations, ministers widely agreed on the importance of developing national intellectual property frameworks, capacity building, and raising awareness through education. Encouraging the use of IP flexibilities, however, was largely left out of the conversation.
Interpol, Pharma Join Hands Against The Crime Of Fake Pharmaceuticals 14/03/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Members of the pharmaceutical industry and Interpol have come to an agreement on a plan to fight “fake” medicines, echoing efforts to address the issue at the World Health Organization in recent years.
USTR: IPRs Among “Most Challenging” Issues As TPP Talks Accelerate 14/03/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 26 Comments Intellectual property rights are among the three “most challenging” issues still to be resolved in the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement negotiations following the latest round that wrapped up yesterday, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) has said. Meanwhile, chief negotiators said this week that the confidential talks are on track for completion by year’s end. But as before, no substantive details were shared about the content of the negotiations.