WHO Executive Board Concludes After ‘Unpredecented’ Workload 30/01/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The World Health Assembly’s rotating Executive Board meets twice a year, and on 29 January concluded its 132nd meeting with what the WHO director general termed an “unprecedented” amount of agenda items and documents.
Potential Elements Of The WHO Global R&D Treaty: Tailoring Solutions For Disparate Contexts 29/01/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Prof. Ryan Abbott analyzes the key components of the WHO proposal for a Global R&D Treaty and their potential impact on public health. The article proposes strategies to convert parties currently opposing the treaty, and argues that a stratified limited market-exclusivity regime has the capacity for a meaningful impact.
IP Professionals Discuss Tech Transfer Potential In Humanitarian Business At WIPO 23/01/2013 by Rachel Marusak Hermann, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A global business association held a meeting at the World Intellectual Property Organization this week on IP market developments, including increasing opportunities in technology transfer for commercial purposes. The intimate gathering featured a line-up of high-level speakers, including WIPO Director General Francis Gurry.
2013: India Battles For Right To Use Compulsory Licences To Make Medicines Affordable 22/01/2013 by Patralekha Chatterjee for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment India has started the New Year on a volatile note. With general elections looming in 2014, there is turbulence and not just in the political world. In India’s pharmaceutical industry, there is sparring over the prickly issue of ‘compulsory licenses’, a mechanism by which a government allows a domestic company to manufacture and sell a generic version of a patented drug without the consent of the patent-holder, who receives compensation.
Development In Indian IP Law: The Copyright (Amendment) Act 2012 22/01/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 7 Comments India’s Copyright Act, 1957 has been significantly amended. In May 2012, both houses of the Indian Parliament unanimously placed their seal on the Copyright Amendment Bill, 2012, bringing Indian copyright law into compliance with the World Intellectual Property Organization “Internet Treaties”. In this article, attorney Abhai Pandey breaks down the changes.
Packed WHO Executive Board Agenda Highlights Need To Streamline Priorities 21/01/2013 by Rachel Marusak Hermann, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments World Health Organization Director General Margaret Chan today opened the 132nd meeting of the Executive Board, the UN agency’s highest authority, emphasising the importance of cost-effectiveness and results-driven operations at a time of global economic austerity and precarious funding.
The Big Shift: A Look At Key Issues In International Copyright In 2013 17/01/2013 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Although pressure on internet service providers and other online companies to stop digital infringement isn’t likely to abate this year, the current focus on enforcement appears to be giving way to a broader debate about how to resolve long-standing copyright issues to the benefit of users and the global economy. Talks continue in the World Intellectual Property Organization and elsewhere on exceptions and limitations, as the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement remains controversial.
Company Takes A Fair Shot At Facebook, LinkedIn, With Social Networking Patents 15/01/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments A Virginia-based company in the midst of a multi-million dollar merger is asserting patents on fundamental aspects of social networking it says have been infringed by Facebook, LinkedIn and three other companies. But even if the patents have validity, they come at a time of what may be a backlash against such lawsuits.
Collaborative Capacity Building In Intellectual Property — Leveraging On African Diaspora Exchange 02/01/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Depending on where one locates its advent, contemporary globalization is now more than half a century old. It might be asked whether globalization has been beneficial to Africa. One quick and easy way of addressing this often asked question is to cursorily look at the regional dynamics of over half century of globalization. And this leads to an urgent call for “homeland-Diaspora” intellectual property training, says Prof. Chidi Oguamanam.
Most-Read IP-Watch Stories Of 2012: India Pharma, Europe, ACTA, WIPO Technical Assistance, Gene Patents 30/12/2012 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment As 2012 becomes a memory, it is fair to say that the intellectual property rights discussion shifted over the past year, with trade agreements, over-reaching in copyright and patents, and the provision of technical assistance all falling under increased pressure. At least if the most-read Intellectual Property Watch stories of the year are any indication.