USPTO Seeks Comments On 2014-2018 Strategic Plan
The United States Patent and Trademark Office has issued its draft strategic plan for 2014-2018 and is asking for comments.
Intellectual Property Watch
Original news and analysis on international IP policy
Category Patents/Designs/Trade Secrets
New EU Customs Regulation Might Allow Wrongful Seizures Of Generic Drugs In Transit, NGOs Say
A recent European Union regulation on customs enforcement of intellectual property rights has raised concerns among civil society actors who find that the regulation might not be an improvement over its previous version under which seizure of legal generic medicines in transit occurred a few years ago, leading to a World Trade Organization dispute.
IP Scores High In Sports – Supports Amateurs, Olympics, Development, Speakers Say
Alongside last week’s meeting of the World Trade Organization intellectual property committee, the United States, European Union and Jamaica organised an event on the relevance of intellectual property in sports. Speakers from professional organisations such as the International Olympic Committee, the Association of European Professional Football Leagues, and the Nike company were invited to share their experience in the matter.
UN Economic Commission For Europe Tackles Innovation In The Public Sector
Innovation experts participating in a two-day seminar at the United Nations in Geneva last week highlighted the complexities as well as the potential benefits linked to the promotion of innovative practices in public administrations at the national, regional and local levels.
International Standard-Setting Policies Unclear On IP, US Study Finds
A new study of 12 leading international standard-setting organisations (SSOs) found a high degree of inconsistency and lack of clarity when it comes to intellectual property rights and licensing. The study also includes analyses on how standards policies are evolving in Brazil, China and India.
GAVI: Reducing Prices To Immunise 250 Million Children By 2015
The GAVI Alliance launched a mid-term report this week showing that the public-private partnership is on track to immunise more than 250 million children by 2015 and prevent some four million deaths. GAVI’s CEO said it uses multiple tools to help reduce prices of vaccine and that intellectual property rights do not pose a serious threat to its success.
Brazilian Patent Reform Report Launched
Infojustice.org reports: Last week, the report Brazilian Patent Reform: Innovation Towards Competitiveness was launched at an event at the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies.
WTO: Tobacco Plain-Packaging Battle Flares Up; Sports And IP Issues Take The Field
The World Trade Organization intellectual property committee last week agreed on a draft decision on disputes that are not in direct violation of WTO IP rules but where one country’s measures negatively affect another country’s expected benefits. Plain packaging for tobacco products was also discussed as Ireland is preparing to introduce such a measure meant to discourage tobacco use, and some countries presented their views on the importance of IP rights in sports.
Green Innovations, Owned By Developed Countries, Tied Up In Patents, Expert Says
Climate change calls for new technologies to face its consequences, governments agree. But research and development efforts are mainly conducted by the private sector in developed countries and are patent-protected, which is doing little to diffuse the technologies in developing countries, said a lecturer in Geneva this week.
WHO Fine-Tuning Pandemic Flu Preparedness Strategy, Use Of Industry Contributions
The World Health Organization is putting the finishing touches on an implementation plan for industry's financial participation in the global influenza preparedness strategy. This week the advisory group met to discuss a draft plan presented by the WHO secretariat, which should now come up with a revised version for implementation in early 2014, according to the chair of the advisory group.
Right To Benefits Of Science: Human Rights Meet IP Rights
A seminar on the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications was held at the United Nations last week with panellists exploring the intersection between intellectual property and human rights in the context of public health, agriculture, and the role of flexibilities to achieve balance between private and public interests.
USTR Support Of USITC Ban On Samsung Imports Contrasts With Earlier Position
The Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) yesterday approved the US International Trade Commission’s ban on imports of certain electronics from Samsung, based in part on the fact that the patents in the case do not involve standard essential patents (SEPs). By contrast, concern over SEPs was a big reason for the recent White House decision to overturn a USITC finding that Apple had violated Samsung’s patents.