Year 2013

US Supreme Court May Invalidate Gene Patents, But Create Little Change

Prior to 15 April, most experts had expected the United States Supreme Court to rule in Association for Molecular Pathology v. Myriad Genetics that genes cannot be patented. The oral argument on that date strengthened this consensus opinion, but also suggested that the court would issue a narrow decision which would allow many types of gene-related patents. Should this happen, the US would move significantly closer to other countries’ rules for gene patents, but the US would continue to have problems limiting patent rights in order to protect the public interest.

Rethinking The Role Of Innovation In The Green Technologies Context

European Union (EU) Commissioner for Environment, Janez Potocnik, during a recent visit to Geneva, elaborated on the global challenges the world faces and on the strategic choices they impose, with a regional focus on Europe. He said the rise in human population that we will observe in the upcoming years raises questions regarding the management of natural resources. In that respect, Potocnik explained the need to rethink our current economic system and the way innovation is carried out.

Protecting Traditional Knowledge: WIPO Members Back To The Drafting Table

World Intellectual Property Organization delegates are meeting once again this week to try to advance a text that could become an international instrument to protect traditional knowledge. Substantial work needs to be done on the draft text, ands developing countries generally favour a legal binding instrument while developed countries would prefer a softer instrument.

Curbing Vaccine Costs Key To Extending Global Immunisation Reach

As the World Health Organization kicks off a week devoted to the promotion of vaccines, newly published research has identified challenges, such as weak supply systems and information gaps, that need to be addressed to scale-up global vaccine coverage. But some observers say that more attention should be paid to the soaring costs of vaccines, starting with a mechanism to track prices.

Mixed Reactions Among Participants In WIPO Talks On Treaty For The Blind

At the close of this week’s negotiating session for an international treaty on copyright exceptions for blind and visually impaired persons, some governments, including upcoming host Morocco, expressed disappointment in the outcome of a three-day drafting session, as it left so much for the diplomatic conference. But most said they are optimistic that solutions can be found.

WIPO Members Send Draft Treaty For The Blind To Marrakesh

Members of the World Intellectual Property Organization have completed work on a draft treaty on copyright exceptions for the blind and visually impaired and agreed to move to a diplomatic conference in Morocco in June. But the text contains many areas displaying the difficulty in easing cross-border access to materials for blind people while protecting copyright holders’ interests.

German Parliament Sends Message: Stop Granting Software Patents

The German Parliament has passed a joint motion against the growing trend of patent offices to grant patents on software programs. The resolution on “Secure Competition and Innovation in the software development,” obliges the German government to take steps to ensure that software is protected by copyright only and no additional patent protection is granted.

In UN Talks On Treaty For The Blind, Concern About Heavy Focus On Rightholders’ Interests

The treaty currently being discussed at the World Intellectual Property Organization is of prime importance for blind and visually impaired people who are expecting that negotiators will engineer a treaty that is workable in the real world, they say. But too much focus on the right holders concerns might endanger the utility of such a treaty, according to the representative of a blind persons’ organisation.

Time Ticking For WIPO Delegates On Copyright Exceptions Treaty

A new text has been the subject of negotiation today by a committee seeking to finalise a draft treaty providing exceptions and limitations to copyrights so that blind and visually impaired people have facilitated access to special format books. Delegates are seeking to find language through agreed statements as a way out of prickly issues.

UN Economic Commission For Europe Looks At Innovation

Last week’s event on the “the role of innovation in creating a dynamic and competitive economy,” held at the 65th session of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), gave an opportunity to a panel of experts to discuss the role of innovation in the current European economic circumstances as a tool to improve productivity and competitiveness by different means.