David Cronin

Articles: 15

Are European Think Tanks Corporate Lobbyists By Another Name?

Think tanks can be a godsend for reporters with a looming deadline. Almost invariably, they are staffed with articulate policy specialists, adept at summarising complex issues in a few quotable sentences. Frequently, too, the think tanks have neutral-sounding names, so a reader or viewer of news reports can easily believe that they are independent of vested interests.

Closer inspection reveals that many of these “independent” bodies are in fact heavily reliant on corporate donations. This is especially the case for a number of think tanks working on intellectual property.

David Cronin
January 31, 2011
2 Comments

New Business Models Proposed In Debate On EU Culture And Copyright

BRUSSELS - Small fees for internet users could be used to pay musicians and other artists for the dissemination of copyright-protected work online, a Brussels conference has been told.

Risk Of Wrongful Medicines Seizures Seen In EU-Central America Trade Deal

A new accord designed to bolster political and economic ties between the European Union and Central America could result in greater seizures of medicines whenever pharmaceutical companies allege that their patents have been infringed, public health advocates have warned.

David Cronin
April 6, 2010
1 Comment

Influential EU Industry Group Urges Stronger IP Focus In Trade Relations

Greater emphasis should be placed on intellectual property issues in the European Union’s trade relations with developing countries, a leading employers group has recommended.

David Cronin
March 18, 2010
2 Comments

Tough IP Health Provisions In Europe’s Colombia/Peru Trade Deal

Far-reaching provisions on the patenting of medicine have been inserted into a controversial free trade agreement between the European Union and Colombia and Peru.

David Cronin
February 25, 2010
3 Comments

Informe de la ONU: las políticas mundiales de PI no prestan atención a los derechos de los indígenas

Las culturas de los pueblos indígenas a menudo no se han tenido en cuenta en la elaboración de las normas mundiales de propiedad intelectual, según se afirma en un nuevo informe de las Naciones Unidas.

David Cronin
February 9, 2010

Accès aux médicaments : création d’un groupe de travail chargé de contrôler les accords de libre échange conclus par l’Union européenne

BRUXELLES – Les accords de commerce ne doivent pas contenir de clauses relatives aux droits de propriété intellectuelle susceptibles de remettre en cause l’accès des pays pauvres aux médicaments à des prix abordables, a déclaré un député chevronné du Parlement européen.

David Cronin
February 2, 2010

New Parliament Group Monitors EU Trade Pacts’ Impact On Poor’s Medicines Access

BRUSSELS - Trade agreements must not contain clauses on intellectual property rights that could imperil the poor’s access to affordable medicines, a veteran member of the European Parliament (MEP) has said.

David Cronin
January 28, 2010
1 Comment

UN Report: Indigenous Rights Ignored In Global IP Policy

The cultures of indigenous peoples have frequently been ignored when global standards on intellectual property were being set, a new United Nations report has stated.

David Cronin
January 14, 2010
6 Comments

Prevent Patents Inhibiting Knowledge Diffusion For Green Technology, EU Told

Stringent intellectual property rules could hamper the spread of technology needed to fight climate change, an advisor to European Union policy-makers has warned.

David Cronin
June 26, 2009
4 Comments

Panel: EU Accord Threatens India; World Customs Body Scales Back IP Enforcement

BRUSSELS - India’s status as a top world supplier of generic medicines could be threatened by a free trade agreement its government is negotiating with the European Union, a new study has concluded. Separately, the World Customs Organization has abandoned its intellectual property rights enforcement group, replacing it with a non-policymaking information committee.

David Cronin
June 11, 2009

L’UE débat du droit d’auteur, de l’accès aux œuvres et des artistes dans le contexte de l’ère numérique

BRUXELLES - « Le droit d’auteur devrait être aboli car il nuit à la diversité culturelle », a-t-on entendu lors d’une conférence à Bruxelles.

David Cronin
April 29, 2009
1 Comment