Original news and analysis on international IP policy
The United Nations has become a focal point for global efforts to fight organised crime’s trafficking of fraudulent medicines that put millions of people – especially the poor – at risk. And a recent pharmaceutical industry report on such medicines recommended some solutions.
Alongside the World Intellectual Property Organization meeting on protection of genetic resources last week, the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA) organised a side event on natural product research.
At the World Intellectual Property Organization meeting on protection of genetic resources last week, the secretariat of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) organised a side event to introduce the key features and recent developments of the international protocol on access and benefit-sharing of such resources.
An industry-backed group of experts has issued a report identifying significant obstacles to addressing non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and proposing solutions to reduce premature deaths caused by NCDs.
On the occasion of the 132nd session of the World Health Organization Executive Board last week, delegations welcomed the efforts made by the international community to eradicate poliomyelitis (polio), but saw room for improvement. As a way forward, they looked to the key role played by WHO partners.
Intellectual property professionals speaking at the University of Geneva last week discussed the challenges faced by companies and legislators in the domain of trade secrets. Topics addressed included the impact globalisation has on the protection of trade secrets, the need for an harmonised regime at the European level, and the need to rethink the place of trade secrets in the current international IP regime.
In 2011, Margaret Chan, director general of the World Health Organization, launched a major reform of the United Nations organisation. This week, a presentation and discussions around the WHO reform by Gaudenz Silberschmidt, senior adviser in the WHO Office of the Director-General, highlighted the reason for this reform, its organisation and the possible impact the reform could have on the relationship between the pharmaceutical industry and the WHO.
The launch of the weeklong Indian film festival at the World Intellectual Property Organization last week brought together different speakers who stressed the importance of copyright protection for the safeguarding and development of the Indian film industry and who characterised unauthorised downloading as a danger for the industry.
International copyright flexibilities are ill-suited to the need of developing countries to create effective access to printed materials in schools, a new book argues. The author, whose work was presented last week at the World Intellectual Property Organization, urges a normative and institutional rethinking of the current system.
A new report from the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) proposes solutions to advancing the global technology transfer debate to better bridge the development gap between developed countries and the global South.