Original news and analysis on international IP policy
China and India, two increasingly potent players on the global economic stage, next week plan to voice concerns at the World Trade Organization about efforts by developed countries to push poorer trading partners beyond their WTO commitments on trade and intellectual property rights, so-called TRIPS-plus measures.
In the past two years, China has acted to improve the protection of intellectual property rights with a need for continuing effort, a World Trade Organization report has found, but the country came under criticism this week from key trading partners such as the United States and the European Union for not providing adequate enforcement and for self-serving innovation practices.
The World Intellectual Property Organization is opening its doors to the public on Saturday for a glimpse at the organisation’s activities, during its first-ever “open day.”
The United States and China are strengthening their relationship on innovation and intellectual property rights as the global economy is slowly taking an upward turn. Those may come as signs of positive collaboration on the delicate issue of IP rights in the face of ongoing questions by US industry and government about the impact of China’s IP rights infringement on American jobs.
Google's ambitious plans to make published books available for download on most internet-connected electronic devices by leveraging its position as the world's largest search engine could have far-reaching repercussions on electronic publishing and book file-sharing in the near future.
Following weeks of consultations, World Trade Organization members are set next week to discuss a proposal to review a little-used amendment of WTO intellectual property rules aimed at boosting availability of affordable medicines in developing countries.
A technical advisory group is working to drill down on key issues surrounding the US Federal Communications Commission’s proposed internet neutrality principles, but the agency is prepared to make a final decision in the end about how those principles are implemented, a senior FCC official said Thursday.
Negotiators trying to find a solution for the world’s print disabled, who have said copyright law is limiting their access to an already meagre supply of reading material in usable formats, began discussing a possible UN recommendation this week. But the print disabled and their strongest supporters have said such a recommendation - which would not be legally binding - would fall short of meeting their needs.
The widening gap in scientific and technological capabilities between some developing countries suffering persistent poverty and rich industrialised countries brings to question why some countries are catching up with richer countries, while others are not. Two key factors for success and innovation are knowledge building and the role of the state as a facilitator, according to UN officials.
World Health Organization members today took an important step closer to finding new ways to finance research and development into diseases afflicting developing countries.
After an at times bitter week-long debate on the issue of fake and poor quality drugs, member states have decided they will lead the World Health Organization forward towards a resolution on the issue.
The past year’s expert working group process at the World Health Organization on solutions for financing of research and development into diseases afflicting poor nations was flawed and led to an unsatisfactory result, representatives of non-governmental organisations said this week. But innovation and access can both be provided, and the issue of IP protection can be de-linked from the way innovation is done, speakers at a side event to this week’s World Health Assembly said. Meanwhile, NGOs and industry also offered their views on WHO counterfeiting efforts this week.