Original news and analysis on international IP policy
Concern over non-communicable diseases - traditionally a more developed-country set of problems like diabetes - is energising the international public health policy community. But representatives of the public interest are still grappling with their response.
The role and responsibility of internet intermediaries in the protection of copyright is under debate in several policy fora and often brings up issues such as privacy, access to knowledge, and freedom of expression. A panel was organised last week at the World Intellectual Property Organization to explore the viewpoints of several but not all stakeholders on this issue.
The World Intellectual Property Organization recently stepped into the agriculture field with its first seminar on the use of intellectual property to increase productivity. In the seminar, proponents of IP rights defended the value of protection and the necessity of relying on technology to answer the needs of an inflated world population.
A Canadian bill to improve global access to medicines might get another shot in the new Parliament, writes Daniele Dionisio.
For the past ten years, the United States Supreme Court has steadily chipped away at patent rights. But this term, the court abruptly reversed direction. In two weeks, the high court issued rulings in three patent cases, and in every one upheld the legal rights of inventors. It is unclear, however, how big a win this really was for patent rights.
The head of Geneva-based UNITAID, an innovative drug purchasing system for the global poor, will leave the post this month.
At the last session of the World Trade Organization Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Council, the Dominican Republic challenged an Australian draft law requiring plain packaging for tobacco products as being incompatible with its WTO obligations, eclipsing other agenda items. The TRIPS Council also addressed other regular agenda items such as related to biodiversity and public health, according to sources.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) today announced the appointment of a new deputy commissioner for trademarks, with oversight of examination and processing of applications.
The International Confederation of Societies of Authors and Composers (CISAC), which claims representation of 3 million creators and publishers, has named a new director general. Interestingly, he comes from a career in broadcasting.
A recent drive against the use of mobile phones without valid International Mobile Equipment Identity (IMEI) numbers in terrorism-struck Pakistan has given respite to established brands and authorised dealers. The proliferation of copied and smuggled cell phones in the country, with little intellectual property rights enforcement, had resulted in a decrease in their sales volumes, industry representatives said.
In addition, the government is moving to restore an intellectual property law that industry thinks could help its efforts.
This week the United Nations meets in New York with the possibility of finding a way to end the HIV crisis that in the past two decades spread like wildfire and decimated societies in many developing countries, in particular in sub-Saharan Africa.
A lawyer with experience representing copyright holders such as authors and museums today was named the top copyright official in the United States government.