Original news and analysis on international IP policy
By Kaitlin Mara The final decisions of the ninth and most recent meeting of the Convention on Biological Diversity’s (CBD) organising body have been released, which include the breakthrough results of a work plan for achieving an international access and…
By Kaitlin Mara A “landmark” decision was made last week by a unique intergovernmental initiative for drug financing in poor and underserved areas: an agreement on the usefulness of sharing intellectual property rights to lower costs and increase quality of…
The Intellectual Property Watch Monthly Reporter features the most important news on international IP policymaking, the latest on who is coming and going in the IP community at the United Nations, World Trade Organization, Geneva missions, regional and national IP…
The World Customs Organization's advisory body met from 23 - 24 June, where IP enforcement via customs offices was among issues discussed. This document is a summary of recommendations made to the WCO's decision-making Council.
[Note: the summary text of the Policy Commission session is now available here] By Kaitlin Mara Concerns ran high in some developing countries last week that their voices have been largely absent from a draft set of standards for heightened…
By Kaitlin Mara The World Intellectual Property Organization committee charged with discussing international patent law kicked off its first formal meeting in three years today with the election of a Chilean chair and the start of work on a WIPO…
By Kaitlin Mara Uganda this week submitted a plan for addressing its priority needs on trade and intellectual property to the World Trade Organization committee on IP, making the nation the first least-developed country to lay out a detailed strategy…
By Kaitlin Mara The World Intellectual Property Organization committee charged with coordinating relationships between national patent regimes will meet next week for the first time since an informal session in April 2006. It is the first formal convening since June…
By Kaitlin Mara The World Trade Organization intellectual property committee will meet next week in the midst of a tense round of trade talks where efforts to move closer to consensus are continuing and the inclusion of some IP-related issues…
By Kaitlin Mara A small group of countries opposing the inclusion of intellectual property-related issues in World Trade Organization negotiations has issued their response to an earlier “non-paper” that had called for IP issues to be integrated with the upcoming…
By Kaitlin Mara The World Trade Organization on Monday released two reports on the state of play in negotiations on a register for geographical indications (GIs) – product names associated with places and characteristics – as well as the possible…
The World Health Assembly “global strategy and plan of action on public health, innovation and intellectual property,” is now online. The document, WHA61.21, has been called “the most important document since [the] Doha” Declaration on IP and public health. Said…