Original news and analysis on international IP policy
The European Union presenting its new Trademark Directive during this week’s meeting of the World Trade Organization intellectual property council heard concerns of possible seizures of generic medicines transiting through Europe. Meanwhile, the new Council chair's attempts at revitalising discussions between member states received general approval. And a new agenda item on e-commerce was launched.
Panellists at a side event this week at the World Trade Organization reminded delegates of the view that patents and a strong innovative environment are key to innovation, and in particular to green technology. A Swiss start-up company developing a…
World Intellectual Property Organization members negotiating for an instrument to protect against theft of genetic resources last week agreed on a new text with more options on legal terms, effectively moving the talks forward. In this round of talks, the African Group showed signs of moving off its position of revoking patents for violators, while the United States came out strongly against disclosure of origin at the expense of amiable relations with key allies.
The United States may have hoped for a different result last week when it alienated allies at the World Intellectual Property Organization by issuing a rash criticism of Switzerland’s policy on patents and genetic resources and threatened to follow with more.
The agenda of next week’s meeting of the World Trade Organization council on intellectual property will include an item on sustainable resources and environmental technology, and a proposed discussion on electronic commerce. These are in addition to the usual list of agenda items.
Indigenous peoples have been the victims of repeated acts of biopiracy while the international community has failed to act to prevent it, indigenous representatives said in an interview this week. The World Intellectual Property Organization has been discussing ways to address that issue for some 16 years, without success. As negotiators continue to seek consensus on what a potential treaty could achieve, indigenous peoples feel the spotlight has drifted from their issues to technical issues of the intellectual property system and highlighted attention on users of the system.
With discussions in full swing at the World Intellectual Property Organization on how to protect genetic resources in intellectual property rights, and in particular whether the disclosure of the source of genetic resources should be mandatory in patent applications, the United States has tabled a document hypothetically applying the mandatory disclosure legislation of Switzerland to a US patent.
A revised version of what is hoped by a large number of World Intellectual Property Organization members to become a treaty protecting genetic resources from misappropriation was issued today.
According to a new study by experts at the World Health Organization, prices of hepatitis C treatments are unaffordable globally and put a major strain on national health systems. Hepatitis C can cause liver cirrhosis and cancer, and with an estimated 80 million people affected in the world, if untreated, the sickness could lead to 700,000 deaths per year worldwide, the study said, suggesting that governments and industry stakeholders should develop and implement fair pricing frameworks.
Last week, the World Intellectual Property Organization held a seminar on intellectual property and genetic resources. For over a decade, WIPO members have been discussing ways to protect genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge from misappropriation. The seminar allowed speakers from different regions and interests to offer their views on the topic.
"Tobacco-related illness is one of the biggest public health threats the world has ever faced," according to the World Health Organization, and plain packaging of tobacco products can save lives, it said. The theme of this year's no-tobacco day, today, is: Get ready for plain packaging, as the WHO is calling for countries to introduce plain packaging in their territories.
The protection of genetic resources from misappropriation through patents, for example without the consent of the resource owners, and in particular indigenous communities, or benefit-sharing when commercial benefits arise from the use of those resources is being discussed this week at the World Intellectual Property Organization. Two divergent broad perspectives on how to achieve such protection are hoped to come closer on core issues.