Original news and analysis on international IP policy
The World Intellectual Property Organization is continuing its push to become involved in some of the biggest policy questions of the day with an international conference on climate change next week. This follows recent efforts on public health and food security.
The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) is holding a two-day meeting to increase awareness of intellectual property rights throughout the region.
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 European Organisaton for Nuclear Research (CERN) today issued an open hardware licence for electronic designs, following its principle of “open science.”
The governments of Spain and Italy have filed complaints with the European Court of Justice calling for the annullment of a March European Council decision to create an EU unitary patent.
The joint United Nations Programme on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) today praised the commitment made by India's Commerce Minister not to negotiate stronger intellectual property rights provisions that could undermine India's global leadership in the production of affordable generic AIDS drugs.
A diverse team of global experts on public health research and development will meet this week behind closed doors to analyse proposals for ways to fund R&D on diseases afflicting poor populations – and for who should coordinate such global efforts.
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.
A high-level meeting of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) is expected to pass a set of "principles on internet policymaking" tomorrow. But over 80 non-governmental groups have announced they will not sign on to the communiqué.
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.
The newly elected head of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization today expressed tolerance for genetically modified crops but not for monopolies on seeds.