Year 2015

Court Orders USTR To Justify Industry Advisor Confidentiality In TPP

The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) next week is expected to provide justification for withholding from a Freedom of Information Act request the communications with its industry advisors as confidential commercial or financial information. The case involves communications in the lead-up to completion of the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) agreement, and could set a precedent for exemptions of communications with lobbyists.

William New
October 29, 2015

Is There Hope For Better WIPO Administration-Staff Relations?

The president of the World Intellectual Property Organization staff association earlier this month raised profound concerns about ongoing practices involving staff at the UN institution. The WIPO director general then took the floor to address many of the concerns, offering explanations on various points, according to participants. In the end, both sides may be looking for an improvement this year.

William New
October 29, 2015
2 Comments

WIPO Seminar: Digitisation Boosts Production Of New Music, Movies, Books

The latest instalment of the World Intellectual Property Organization seminar series, “The Economics of Intellectual Property,” set out to answer the question of whether the process of digitisation has affected the supply of new creative works.

Marianna Drake
October 29, 2015

Academic Tells WTO, WIPO, WHO To Stop Using The Term “Developing Countries”

A lively keynote address urging international organisations to adopt a fact-based view of the world and new ways of segmenting countries in an increasingly convergent world, set the scene for the annual trilateral symposium on public health, intellectual property and trade taking place at the World Trade Organization today.

Marianna Drake
October 28, 2015

WIPO, WTO, WHO Heads Underline Need For Better Access To Medicines

Trade, health, and intellectual property came together today as the heads of three specialised international organisations held an annual symposium to stimulate discussions on how the three can best help public health, and notably access to medicines in developing countries.

Catherine Saez
October 28, 2015
1 Comment

Kenya Considers Lifting Ban On GMOs; Seed Patents In Debate

NAIROBI, Kenya – A Kenyan government plan to lift the ban on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is stirring a heated debate here, with experts warning on safety and the East African nation’s preparedness for the technology.

Fredrick Nzwili
October 28, 2015
2 Comments

HIV Medicine Aluvia Stock-Out Dogs South Africa, Raising Patent Concerns

CAPE TOWN, South Africa - While Médecins Sans Frontières have blamed stock-outs of ‘Aluvia’ on the refusal to licence a patent for a generic of the HIV medicine in South Africa by AbbVie pharmaceutical company leading to persistent supply problems, the company said it has taken measures to address the problem.

Munyaradzi Makoni
October 28, 2015
1 Comment

European Parliament Votes Down Net Neutrality Amendments

By Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch After another heated debate, the European Parliament today voted down several amendments aimed at strengthening network neutrality in the new telecommunications package which has been on the agenda of the European Union for…

William New
October 27, 2015

External Review Of WIPO Re:Search Shows Successes, Areas For Further Work

A revealing independent review to be published this week on WIPO Re:Search, the World Intellectual Property Organization initiative for development of medical products for neglected tropical diseases, malaria and tuberculosis, gives a set of recommendations to ensure the sustainability and success of the initiative.

William New and Catherine Saez
October 27, 2015

Royalties Collection On Rise, Digital Income Catches Up With Physical, Report Says

Royalty collection is on the rise, according to an international confederation of collecting societies, with Europe being the most fruitful market and North America showing the highest growth. Digital income now equals physical revenues from royalties, the report says, and performing rights account for the bulk of collections.

Catherine Saez
October 27, 2015

Russian Parliament May Suspend Reform Of IP System

The ongoing reform of the Russian system of intellectual property may be suspended, due to recent criticism of some of its aspects by the Russian Parliament (State Duma).

Eugene Gerden
October 26, 2015

Plant Treaty Budget, Work Programme Approved; Farmers Concerned

The treaty on plant genetic resources held its governing body meeting earlier this month with new initiatives to bring financial sustainability to the treaty, in particular to study the possibility of a subscription system to access the treaty’s plant genetic materials. Also, the Governing Body approved the first work programme of a global information system, which includes an initiative to enhance the use of gene bank materials, to the dismay of farmers’ organisations.

Catherine Saez
October 26, 2015