Amid Global Push For Tobacco Plain Packaging, IP And Health Rights Bog Down Africa 19/05/2016 by Munyaradzi Makoni for Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments CAPE TOWN, South Africa — Plain packaging is considered unattractive among marketers, loss-making for industries, and a healthy life promoter for governments and the public. The potent mix to balance profits, safeguard jobs and cut illnesses has made it a controversial solution to curb smoking. As it grows in popularity around the world, how is plain packaging faring in Africa?
EU Eyes Revamp Of Policy To Speed Drug Approvals In Developing Countries 17/05/2016 by Tatum Anderson for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Article 58, a process introduced by the European Commission to help speed up the time low and middle-income countries take to approve new drugs, could be in for a massive overhaul. A revamp has been proposed because it is underused – just a handful of products have gone through the Article 58 process since its launch in 2004. The most recent is an antiseptic chlorhexidine gel that prevents new-born umbilical cord infections in developing countries. A joint project between GSK and Save the Children, it was approved late last month.
As Patients Wait, WHO Members Chip Away At Decision On Medical R&D Funding 09/05/2016 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 6 Comments A number of World Health Organization member states attended a meeting last week aimed finding ways to sustainably finance research and development for medical products, especially those for poor populations lacking means to pay high prices. According to the outcome document and a WHO official, they heard many viewpoints from experts and made progress but much was left for the World Health Assembly later this month.
WSIS Forum: Support For General Assembly Decisions On Internet Governance 03/05/2016 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Support from information and communication technology for implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals 2030 is the programmatic topic of the first post-WSIS+10 edition of the World Summit Information Society Forum (WSIS Forum), taking place this week.
WSIS2016: Software Licensing Matters – To Everybody 02/05/2016 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A special committee at the World Intellectual Property Organisation on software licensing, a globally harmonized software licence model and a dispute resolution system were among the ideas presented to the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) at panel it hosted at day one of the 2016 WSIS Forum meeting in Geneva.
Special Report: The Battle For Biosimilars In India 02/05/2016 by Patralekha Chatterjee for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment [story updated] Biosimilar drugs hold out big opportunities for India’s drug companies. But the future is fraught with challenges. One key challenge is regulations. What does this mean for countries like India, an emerging market for biosimilars? How will the evolving global regulatory environment on biosimilars impact patients? Last month, both these questions came to the fore as the battle over biosimilars moved centre stage in this country in the wake of an interim order by the Delhi High Court, and then another decision by a Division Bench of the same court which took a different view.
Measure Allowing Federal Courts To Handle Trade Secrets Claims Clears US Congress 28/04/2016 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Legislation authorising federal courts to hear cases involving theft of trade secrets passed the US House of Representatives on 27 April and is now headed for an expected signature by President Barack Obama. Final enactment of the “Defend Trade Secrets Act of 2016” (DTSA), along with the 14 April adoption by the European Parliament of the EU Trade Secrets Directive, boosts protections on both sides of the Atlantic but not uniformly, intellectual property lawyers said.
Industrial Design Draft Treaty Does Not Make It To Last Mile At WIPO 28/04/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Designers wanting to protect their industrial designs at the international level will have to wait some more before the application procedures can be harmonised after hopes to breach differences on a draft treaty were dampened yesterday at the World Intellectual Property Organization.
On IP Protection, USTR Finds Fault With China, India … And Switzerland? 27/04/2016 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) does not hesitate to add even its closest friends to its annual list of concerns about possible inadequate protection of US intellectual property rights. So this year, along with perennial listees China, India and dozens of others, vigorous IP-rights defender Switzerland makes an appearance. The annual Special 301 report was issued today, and in its press release this year, USTR also included its primary client in publishing the list – the rightsholder industry.
WIPO Members Urged To Overcome Differences On Disclosure Of Origin Of Designs 26/04/2016 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment This week, World Intellectual Property Organization delegates are being urged to come closer on remaining issues in a potential treaty facilitating the registration of industrial designs for international applicants. This is easier said than done, though, as a number of WIPO members request that the treaty allows countries to request applicants to disclose the source of their designs, and other countries find this would defy the harmonising aim of the treaty.