Year 2018

UN International Telecommunication Union Re-Elects Leadership For Another Four Years

Houlin Chao of China has been re-elected secretary-general of the UN International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in Geneva, with Malcolm Johnson of the United Kingdom re-elected as deputy secretary-general. Chao ran unopposed and received 176 votes, while Johnson defeated an opponent by garnering 113 votes. And in one of several other posts, ITU hailed the election of the first woman to a leadership position in the agency's 153-year history.

Group Proposes Regulating Internet Hate Speech Through Decentralisation

French advocacy group La Quadrature du Net has declared recent French government plans to regulate internet hate speech insufficient, and is calling for more in-depth reforms. These could include the promotion of alternative social media platforms and a decentralised approach to regulation, according to an organisation press release.

Lurking In USMCA – IP Provisions With An International Agenda

Donald Trump is no fan of international norms or rules. He’s made this clear on numerous occasions, including during his two speeches at the United Nations. It is surprising, therefore, that one of the few international deals he has made as president – the recently announced treaty replacing NAFTA – contains IP provisions whose main purposes seem to be extending US rules overseas and establishing IP norms for future international agreements.

Interview With Catherine Chammartin, Director General Of The Swiss Federal Institute Of Intellectual Property

Catherine Chammartin is the Director of the Swiss Federal Institute of Intellectual Property (IPI). A former specialist in international tax policy, she took office at IPI in November 2015. In an exclusive interview with Intellectual Property Watch's Catherine Saez, she explained the priorities of the office under her leadership, and the office's contribution to the success of Switzerland's innovation record.

New Report: Mitigating Patent Linkage To Promote Medicines Access In LMICs

A new report reviews how patent linkage mechanisms have been implemented in South Korea, Australia, Canada, and the United States, and identifies precedents for how low and middle-income countries (LMICs) can retain and exploit “constructive ambiguities” in trade treaty text to mitigate the impacts of patent linkage mechanisms and promote the timely availability of generic medicines.

Multi-Agency Conference Addresses Positive Aspects Of ‘Respect For IP’

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa -- Conference delegates at the Respect for IP international conference held in South Africa this week were participants in a series of top-level panel discussions about the conference theme that included views about balancing intellectual property’s economic value with achieving social development goals.

US Releases New Medicare Drug Plan To “Pay The Prices Other Countries Pay”

The United States Department of Health and Human Services has released a new plan intended to reduce drug prices for some patients on Medicare, based on an international pricing index model. In his announcement of the plan, President Trump said the US would save money “for our seniors by paying the prices other countries pay. Nothing special, just the prices that other countries pay.”

Investing In New Antibiotic Research: Difficult Equation Discussed At World Investment Forum

The diminishing arsenal of efficient antibiotics to fight bacteria is a threat denounced by many, but investment in research and development of new antibiotics is seen as lagging. As the danger of getting back to a pre-antibiotic age is increasing, alternative ways of financing new antibiotics are being discussed. At the World Investment Forum this week, a panel looked into innovative means of investment, and ways to attract private investors to this field.