Original news and analysis on international IP policy
Climate change is prompting the need for new technologies to address the consequences of the weather changing patterns. A book authored by a number of scholars provides an introduction to the interactions of climate change with the global intellectual property, innovation, human rights and international trade systems.
Innovation and intellectual property rights have set the United States apart from competitors in recent history, and China seems intent on closing that gap any way it can. A US trade office report out this week on China’s compliance with World Trade Organization rules 15 years after accession show the magnitude of China’s continuing compliance problems related to intellectual property rights.
When Gilead brought its new antiviral medicine – Sovaldi – for the treatment of Hepatitis C to the US market for USD 84,000, it triggered a storm of protest. Demand for this revolutionary treatment was so high that the price (despite reductions) became an enormous burden on the American healthcare system. Although the product is cheaper in Switzerland at CHF 48 307, treatment is rationed for reasons of cost.
The book Antitrust Issues in Intellectual Property Law, edited by Bradford Lyerla and authored by several lawyers, is about the intersection of IP law and antitrust law and collects case law from 2015 and 20152016??, dealing with the issue.
The United Nations has established a “technology bank” for least-developed countries that aims to strengthen the science, technology and innovation capacity of LDCs that includes better management of intellectual property rights.
The Harare Protocol on Patents, Industrial Designs and Utility Models has been amended. The amendments were adopted by the 40th Session of the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) Administrative Council, and came into operational effect from 1 January 2017.
Hundreds of thousands of people visited articles on Intellectual Property Watch last year, and we published nearly 1,000 original articles. The year’s most-visited articles reflected a mix of new ideas and policies worldwide and some recurring issues, with especially heavy attention on stories involving India.
Biotherapeutic medicines are made out of living organisms and cannot be replicated. No generic medicines, which are exact copies of the reference product, can be made. The generic equivalent of a biotherapeutic would be biosimilars, which are highly similar products. The United States Food and Drug Administration has issued a guide to help producers to prove how close their biosimilars are to the biotherapeutics.
Robert Lighthizer, President-elect Donald Trump's newly named choice for United States Trade Representative, appears to fit Trump's strong stance on China, including on intellectual property protection, but is a longstanding Washington Republican insider and negotiator of trade agreements, which might seem contrary to Trump's stated questioning of the status quo. Still, some say he is apart from Trump's other appointments on trade in important ways.
One of the key questions around the impact of patents on health and innovation is what is the appropriate level of protection for companies innovating, says Dr. Marie-Paul Kieny, assistant director-general, Health Systems and Innovation, at the World Health Organization.
As a new year dawns, a lot of movement has been observed in the pharmaceutical industry with new key players taking the lead. Meanwhile, new delegates are covering IP issues in Geneva, and coordination of regional groups at the World Intellectual Property Organization makes its usual yearly shift for 2017. The copyright industry also saw major changes, and law offices have been busy hiring new partners.
The United States Trade Representative’s office today released its annual “notorious markets” for intellectual property-infringing goods, with a list of 21 online and 12 physical markets worldwide. Many of the online sites are based across Europe, including several in Switzerland, but also in Russia and China as in the past. A big feature is China's Taobao, and new methods like stream ripping.