Original news and analysis on international IP policy
The heads of seventeen United States industry associations, including the US Chamber of Commerce, today issued a letter to President Barack Obama alleging that the Indian government is engaging in discriminating policies against US exports and encouraging swift action by the US government. Among the concerns is the country's treatment of patents.
The White House today announced “major steps to improve innovation in high tech patents” by restricting activities of “patent assertion entities,” also known as “patent trolls.” The list included five executive actions and seven legislative recommendations.
Neelie Kroes, vice-president of the European Commission responsible for the Digital Agenda, today gave some hints about upcoming regulations intended to ensure competition in cross-border European internet.
The US film industry and advocates for the blind joined forces today to urge World Intellectual Property Organization negotiators to keep treaty talks focussed on the core issue of making more books available to the blind and visually impaired. The joint statement appeared to be aimed at reining in stakeholders on both sides of the international debate.
Member states gathered at the annual World Health Assembly took note of a report on its pandemic influenza preparedness (PIP) framework amid encouragement by developed countries that standard agreements for transferring materials be completed, and reminders from some developing countries of the need for fair access and benefit-sharing of the resulting treatments.
Over the past week or so, least-developed country (LDC) members of the World Trade Organization have held their own in a closed room with the world’s biggest economies as they worked out details of a request by the LDCs to extend the deadline by which they must enforce WTO intellectual property rules.
The issue of access to medicines is on the agenda at this week’s World Health Assembly (WHA) and public health advocates are seeking greater clarity and detail about the latest member state effort to address failings in the global system of research and development for medical products.
Negotiators worked late last night to reach some compromise on the intellectual property-related component of the emerging World Health Organization action plan on noncommunicable diseases.
Infojustice.org reports from the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations in Lima, Peru that the intellectual property chapter shows no sign of resolution and the end of the TPP talks in 2013 is now highly unlikely.
World Health Organization Director General Margaret Chan today had strong messages for the opening day of the annual World Health Assembly: in these rocky times, public health work is a high ground that helps bring security and development, and if you are not doing all you can to advance global health for all, then you are part of the problem. She took a swipe at mega-industries – especially tobacco and junk food - that produce and market unhealthy products and spend heavily to work against effective public health policies.
On the agenda of the normally technical World Intellectual Property Organization working group on the Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) next week is a proposal for an amendment that would incorporate the bilateral Patent Prosecution Highway (PPH) used by some countries into the PCT. This has stirred concern among countries that are currently outside the PPH system.
The World Trade Organization General Council today gave final approval to the appointment of Brazilian Amb. Roberto Carvalho de Azevêdo as the next director general of the WTO. He will take over from Pascal Lamy on 1 September for a four-year term.