Biotech Convention Pays Homage To IP, Pledges To Increase Access To Medicine 04/05/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Intellectual property rights and access to medicines were on the agenda at the first day of a biotechnology industry group’s annual convention yesterday. The group held a panel on IP rights and also released a policy statement on access to medicine in developing countries. The director of the US Patent and Trademark Office commented positively on the initiative.
A Prescription For Failure — Health And IP In The Dominican Republic 03/05/2010 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment In the United States, trade policy is generally considered an economic issue. But for developing countries like the Dominican Republic, it can be a matter of life and death, write Tanya Baytor and Patrick Griffith of Georgetown University Law Center.
US Bill On Radio Music Royalties Gets Key Backing 29/04/2010 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The US Performance Rights Act got support from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (Democrat, California) and Senate Assistant Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D, Illinois) last week. The Performance Rights Act seeks to equalise the rights to compensation between performers of sound recordings and terrestrial broadcasters, according to the Act summary. Musicians, artists and right holders would […]
EU-India Trade Talks Resume Under Cloud Of Concern For Public Health 27/04/2010 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment BRUSSELS – Negotiations on the EU-India free trade agreement continue tomorrow in Brussels amid warnings from non-governmental organisations from India and Europe about possible negative consequences for the public health of poor citizens in India. But European negotiators sought to assuage fears.
New WIPO Development Agenda Group Seeks Transformation Of UN Agency 26/04/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch and William New 2 Comments Ongoing efforts to implement the 2007 Development Agenda at the World Intellectual Property Organization took another twist today as a new group was launched representing developing countries seeking full transformation of the United Nations body toward a development-oriented perspective on intellectual property issues.
Shareholders In 3G Mobile Patent Company Seek US Investigation Of Nokia, Ericsson 23/04/2010 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Two shareholders in a Pennsylvania company with patents key to third generation (3G) mobile communications want the US Department of Justice to investigate European mobile phone manufacturers Nokia and Ericsson and others for failing to pay royalties for use of the technology. Antitrust scrutiny is needed to prevent the same thing from happening as the next generation of mobile phones rolls out, Richard Monahan and Kent Greene say.
Panellists See Critical Moment For International Policy On Biodiversity And Trade 23/04/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Negotiations to protect and preserve biodiversity are in a delicate place, as proponents of stronger protection attempt to navigate parallel discussions at different intergovernmental agencies.
Geneva Health Forum Addresses Biotech, Trade, Pandemic Flu 21/04/2010 by Catherine Saez and William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Biotechnology, international trade, and pandemic influenza were among the topics discussed at the outset of this year’s Geneva Health Forum.
Open Source Company Alleges IBM Antitrust; IBM Requests Analysis 20/04/2010 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments Computer giant IBM is facing an antitrust claim before the European Commission brought by an open source software company alleging that IBM is preventing customers from using that software. Meanwhile, the open source community is worried that the use of intellectual property rights by IBM – a leading open source software maker – to block a competitor will endanger free and open source software and might uncap other IP rights claims from other players. IBM, for its part, is reaffirming its support to open source community and has asked the competing company to explain how its software does not infringe on IBM IP rights.
Committee Examines Undue Influence, Coordination In WHO Pandemic Flu Response 15/04/2010 by Kaitlin Mara for Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments A review of the World Health Organization’s response to the 2009 pandemic influenza outbreak kicked off this week, with firm statements from those involved in the response that they were not unduly influenced by outside stakeholders. Still, serious questions remain about the coordination effort, as a nearly a year after the pandemic was declared developed countries find themselves having to dispose of excess vaccines while poorer countries are reporting they have yet to obtain as many as they need.