Original news and analysis on international IP policy
Journal articles by professors at the University of Kansas (US) will soon be freely available online, the school reported, as it becomes the first public university in the United States to embrace an “open access” policy. The university joins ranks…
An intergovernmental committee considering ways to protect kinds of knowledge that predate - and may not fit into - the current intellectual property system picked up this week after a chaotic round of negotiations failed to make any progress at the last meeting. Meanwhile, some indigenous groups, in whose traditions rest much of this knowledge, continue a push for stronger representation at the committee.
In addition to writing catchy pop-tunes and executing gravity-defying dance moves, the late Michael Jackson apparently had an inventive streak. It has come to light that the singer holds a patent on shoes that help create “an impressive visual effect”…
Alicia Greenidge, until recently director general of the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA), plans to launch a new platform in Geneva to “build relationships between developing countries, governments, organisations and industries,” according to a press release from…
Perhaps the single most critical issue to resolve in addressing neglected diseases is how to ensure there is money to pay for research and clinical trials, even when the consumer demand is small and its constituents poor. A group of experts under the auspices of the World Health Organization this week is attempting to address the problem.
LAUSANNE – « Rien ne vaut une bonne crise », si l’on en croit la sagesse populaire. Voilà une formule que les décideurs pourraient reprendre pour inciter le monde à adopter une économie plus verte et davantage fondée sur la connaissance. Telle est la conclusion à laquelle a abouti un groupe de discussion à l’École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EFPL) le 18 juin. La crise financière actuelle et l’éveil des consciences vis-à-vis de la crise écologique sont l’opportunité unique pour l’innovation, notamment l’innovation verte, de prendre les devants de l’économie du futur.
With implementation of the World Health Organization strategy on intellectual property and innovation beginning in earnest, international experts this week debated how human rights could be infused into global health strategies - including the possibility of new international agreements on research and development - and whether WHO is up to the task.
Video is becoming an increasingly important communication tool on the web, but questions must be asked about its future, said speakers a recent conference. Will it be a medium of self-expression, available for all, or a translation of television to the internet, where content is provided by some and consumed by the rest? A gathering of technologists, academics, filmmakers and others in New York last week issued a call for a freer video culture.
The spectre of gastronomic imperfection has long haunted connoisseurs of the fine foods of regions in countries like France and Italy. But Canada has been less concerned about the protecting its homegrown flavours. This means the Canadians are powerless to…
As a media crackdown in Iran suppressed major news outlets, and even, reportedly, major social networking sites such as Facebook, social media site Twitter has become critical in providing up-to-the-second news as to what is happening on the ground in…