5th Global Congress On IP And The Public Interest: Successes, Strategies Highlighted 03/10/2018 by David Branigan, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment WASHINGTON, DC — More than 400 activists, academics and practitioners from over 50 countries gathered at this year’s Global Congress on Intellectual Property and the Public Interest, according to organisers. At the Congress, participants shared success stories, developed strategies, and engaged in critical dialogue to re-think and re-invent intellectual property systems that serve the public interest.
Trade In 2030: WTO Public Forum Opens With Visions For The Future 02/10/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment What will trade look like in 2030? This is the topic of the 2018 World Trade Organization Public Forum opening today. During the discussion opening the forum, WTO Director General Roberto Azevêdo said technological evolution cannot be stopped and should be shaped so it can yield the best results. Alibaba founder Jack Ma invited governments to build infrastructure to help ecommerce and stop trying to regulate it.
WHO Head Highlights Tobacco Plain Packaging Victory At WTO; Vaping Lobbyists Hit Geneva 01/10/2018 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus (Dr Tedros) today hailed a dispute settlement decision at the neighbouring World Trade Organization upholding laws requiring tobacco products to be packaged without logos or designs as a way to reduce interest in smoking. Meanwhile, lobbyists for popular alternative “electronic” tobacco products such as vaping are out in force in Geneva this week.
UN General Assembly Adopts High-Level Political Declaration On Noncommunicable Diseases 27/09/2018 by David Branigan, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments NEW YORK — The United Nations General Assembly is meeting today for the Third High-Level Meeting on Noncommunicable Diseases, and has adopted an ambitious political declaration, entitled, “Time to Deliver: Accelerating our response to address NCDs for the health and well-being of present and future generations.”
WIPO General Assemblies Mid-Week Notebook: Heating Up 27/09/2018 by Catherine Saez and William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment After two days of general statements, World Intellectual Property Organization delegates delved into more substantial subjects, and convened in small closed informal discussions to try to solve issues left open during the year. Among them is the composition of WIPO Coordination Committee and Program and Budget Committee, both WIPO governing bodies. Others include potential treaties on harmonising international applications by industrial designs creators, and on the protection of broadcasting organisations against signal theft.
Interview With The Korea IP Office’s Acting Commissioner 27/09/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Korean Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) Acting Commissioner Kim Tae Man is attending the annual World Intellectual Property Organization General Assembly this week. In that context, he sat down with Intellectual Property Watch, and in a mutually prepared Q&A, he described some of KIPO’s policies and future plans, collaboration with WIPO, international partnerships, and regional efforts toward global harmonisation.
World Leaders Commit To End Tuberculosis At Historic United Nations Meeting 27/09/2018 by David Branigan, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment NEW YORK — World leaders and senior representatives came together today for the first-ever High-Level Meeting on the Fight to End Tuberculosis at United Nations headquarters in New York. At the meeting, heads of state adopted a political declaration with commitments to accelerate action and funding to end the tuberculosis epidemic by 2030.
WIPO And Pharma Industry Launch Medicines Patent Database For Easier Access To Medicines 25/09/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 2 Comments A new initiative, the Patent Information Initiative for Medicines (Pat-INFORMED), was launched today at the World Intellectual Property Organization to help health agencies procure medicines. The collaboration between WIPO and the pharmaceutical industry, a free and open-access database, provides information on the legal status of patents on approved medicines.
Why Follow-On Pharmaceutical Innovations Should Be Eligible For Patent Protection 21/09/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Christopher M. Holman writes: Despite the important role of intellectual property rights in incentivizing innovation, the patenting of pharmaceutical innovation is frequently accused of impeding access to medicine. Criticism of the prevailing patent regime has focused in particular on patents directed towards follow-on pharmaceutical innovation, i.e., innovation that seeks to improve upon existing pharmaceuticals and their use in treating patients. Patents on follow-on innovation are often derided as “secondary” patents, with the implication that the underlying inventions are somehow lesser in nature than the subject matter claimed in “primary” patents, i.e., the drug active ingredient per se. While implicitly acknowledging the legitimacy of primary patents, critics of so-called secondary patents contend that patents on follow-on innovation allow drug innovators to “evergreen” their products, i.e., to extend the period of patent exclusivity beyond the expiration of any original patent on the drug active ingredient, and in doing so contribute to the high cost of drugs, thereby limiting the ability of patients to access the drugs upon which they have come to rely.
Video: Hackers To The Rescue – Defining Good Hacking 19/09/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Noci, the fictional city attacked by malevolent hackers during ICON2018, was saved and the challenge was won by a Swiss team. What is a hacker, how do they define themselves? Two members of ICON, a young non-governmental organisation in Geneva, answered that question for Intellectual Property Watch, with the same affirmation: a hacker is first and foremost a curious mind. View the IP-Watch video interviews below.