Category IP Policies

Incertitudes sur les implications internationales de la bataille autour de la marque de fabrique de la Croix-Rouge

Par Catherine Saez Plusieurs mois après que le fabricant de produits sanitaires Johnson & Johnson a déposé une plainte civile contre la Croix-Rouge américaine ainsi que ses partenaires de licence commerciaux pour qu’ils cessent d’utiliser l’emblème d’une croix rouge, l’intérêt…

Diferencias en la aplicacion del Acuerdo sobre los ADPIC por parte de países en desarrollo

Por Catherine Saez Según los oradores en un reciente evento organizado por el Centro del Sur, existen diferencias significativas en la aplicación por parte de países en desarrollo del Acuerdo sobre los Aspectos de los Derechos de la Propiedad Intelectual…

International Implications Of Red Cross Trademark Fight Unclear

By Catherine Saez
Months after health products manufacturer Johnson & Johnson filed a civil complaint against the American Red Cross and its commercial licensees to stop using the symbol of a red cross, the public interest it generated seems to have all but subsided. However, questions about the possible consequences of this lawsuit at the international level remain unanswered.

After roughly 100 years of sharing the symbol, the two entities are now fighting over it. The lawsuit filed by US-based Johnson & Johnson (J&J) against the American Red Cross (ARC) and four of its licensing partners on 8 August focused mainly on preventing the ARC and its licensing partners from using the red cross design on commercial products such as first aid kits to prevent unfair competition. The American Red Cross has licensed sale of its kits in large-scale retailers such as Wal-Mart, Target and major drug stores.

Thailand Moves To Amend Copyright Law To Regulate Royalties

By Sinfah Tunsarawuth for Intellectual Property Watch BANGKOK – Thailand’s lawmakers on Tuesday finalised a draft bill to amend its copyrights law in an effort to regulate the collecting of royalties in domestic music industry, which bill proponents say has…

WIPO Consults On Protecting Traditional Knowledge, Genetic Resources

By Catherine Saez How best to protect traditional knowledge, traditional cultural expressions and genetic resources against misappropriation and misuse was the main theme of a recent community consultation in the form of a roundtable organised by the World Intellectual Property…

WTO Members Continue Debate On Geographical Indications Register

By William New Members of the World Trade Organization on Friday continued a longstanding debate over the creation of a register for geographical indications (GIs), products whose names derive from places. Debate centred on a recent compromise proposal from European…

China, US Hold High-Level Discussions On IP Issues

By Liza Porteus Viana for Intellectual Property Watch China and the United States last week held high-level discussions on a host of topics including intellectual property rights, reaching agreements to cooperate on IP rights protection, stopping counterfeit medicines and devices,…