Original news and analysis on international IP policy
At the recent World Intellectual Property Organisation General Assembly, an effort by some developing countries to increase WIPO’s orientation toward development issues met with a lobbying campaign by representatives of developed country industries that would be affected by the reform.…
The World Trade Organization committee handling intellectual property issues finished four days of meetings with minimal progress in real terms, but kept several issues alive for the December WTO ministerial in Hong Kong. The WTO Council on the Agreement on…
As nations prepare for a possible avian flu pandemic, some observers are raising questions about a seemingly obscure footnote in international trade law under which dozens of governments have agreed not to import cheap generic drugs made for poor countries.…
Intellectual Property Watch is happy to welcome Tove Iren Spissøy Gerhardsen to its ranks as its new Associate Editor. She will be covering a full range of IP policy issues, including the areas of health, trade, and other developments at…
Officials at the World Trade Organization committee responsible for intellectual property issues on Tuesday could not agree on how to permanently change trade law to permit poor countries in need to import drugs made elsewhere under compulsory license. The WTO…
Issues surrounding nations’ legal ability to obtain sufficient quantities of patented medicines to protect their people from the spread of avian influenza may be addressed at today’s meeting of the World Trade Organization committee responsible for intellectual property rights matters.…
Russia is negotiating for accession to the World Trade Organization at the same time it is talking with the United States bilaterally about exceeding the terms of the WTO agreement on intellectual property rights, and a senior Russian official said…
Paris—The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) today approved a treaty for the protection of cultural diversity despite an all-out drive by the United States to get governments to change their minds. “We really pulled out all the stops”…
PARIS — Attempts by the United States and Japan to reopen negotiations on a UN draft treaty on cultural diversity today are meeting with firm resistance from developed and developing countries alike. While most nations’ ministers present at the UN…
Member governments of the UN World Intellectual Property Organisation at their 26 September to 5 October General Assemblies agreed on a way to proceed with negotiations for a treaty on broadcasters’ rights. They will prepare a “basic proposal,” or draft…
tradução em português (IP-Watch is not responsible for the accuracy of this translation) Encouragement for the use of free and open source software and open standards for science and technology has quietly worked its way into the draft texts being…
Member governments of the World Intellectual Property Organisation tonight overcame a flare-up in tensions to reach agreement on the future of a proposed WIPO development agenda and the future work of a key patent committee. The final texts of both,…