Original news and analysis on international IP policy
Prof. Sean Flynn writes that the transparency in the breakthrough agreement on an international treaty for the visually impaired in Morocco is a lesson for trade negotiators who encounter difficulties after keeping trade agreement texts secret until negotiations are over, such as in the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) and the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP).
To what extent can global intellectual property rules address in an effective manner the needs of the most vulnerable members of society? This is the key question with which member states of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) are faced as they prepare to meet next week for a diplomatic conference, in Marrakesh, that should result in the adoption of a treaty to facilitate access to copyrighted works by visually impaired persons and persons with print disabilities.
Ten years after applying for membership, Croatia is finally joining the European Union on 1 July 2013. Tanja Rajić, senior associate at PETOSEVIC, explains how six years of accession negotiations and the adoption of the acquis communautaire have affected intellectual property protection in Croatia and prepared it for becoming a member state.
Daniela Bagozzi writes: Ten years of efforts in treatment for priority diseases has yielded impressive results both in terms of lives and dollars saved. To maintain progress in a volatile and financially tight environment countries and the international community will need to increase pressure on quality and healthy generic competition.
"Bad Science" adversary and journalist, Dr Ben Goldacre, this week challenged WHO Director of Ethics and Social Determinants of Health, Dr Rüdiger Krech, on his understanding of published evidence.
Prof. Sean Flynn asks whether US sanctions of Ukraine under the US Special 301 program violates World Trade Organization rules. He also asks whether the operation of watch lists threatening sanctions for intellectual property matters could be challenged under the WTO even prior to any sanction going into effect.
Benny Spiewak writes on the intellectual property system and a Brazilian as head of the WTO. How an emerging economy national may affect the rules of the game.
Christopher J. Paun writes: Public-private partnerships (PPPs) are often used as a way of increasing public policy options by tapping into private sector resources. This occurs also in the field of intellectual property. There are several examples of Global PPPs against IP crimes - some more successful than others. Some prominent failures received a lot of attention when PPP activities were stopped following controversy about global IP policy.
Ahmed Abdel Latif says of the Novartis case: The ruling is also a revealing tale about the changing role of developing countries in the global intellectual property landscape and the growing influence of the judiciary in these countries in the implementation of international intellectual property rules.
Following the Indian Supreme Court decision in Novartis AG v. Union of India, Prof. Frederick Abbott says, "the judgment is well-crafted, with close attention to the facts presented, and appears to take a balanced view of the matters brought before the Court."