Category Patents/Designs/Trade Secrets

Rethinking The Role Of Innovation In The Green Technologies Context

European Union (EU) Commissioner for Environment, Janez Potocnik, during a recent visit to Geneva, elaborated on the global challenges the world faces and on the strategic choices they impose, with a regional focus on Europe. He said the rise in human population that we will observe in the upcoming years raises questions regarding the management of natural resources. In that respect, Potocnik explained the need to rethink our current economic system and the way innovation is carried out.

Protecting Traditional Knowledge: WIPO Members Back To The Drafting Table

World Intellectual Property Organization delegates are meeting once again this week to try to advance a text that could become an international instrument to protect traditional knowledge. Substantial work needs to be done on the draft text, ands developing countries generally favour a legal binding instrument while developed countries would prefer a softer instrument.

Curbing Vaccine Costs Key To Extending Global Immunisation Reach

As the World Health Organization kicks off a week devoted to the promotion of vaccines, newly published research has identified challenges, such as weak supply systems and information gaps, that need to be addressed to scale-up global vaccine coverage. But some observers say that more attention should be paid to the soaring costs of vaccines, starting with a mechanism to track prices.

German Parliament Sends Message: Stop Granting Software Patents

The German Parliament has passed a joint motion against the growing trend of patent offices to grant patents on software programs. The resolution on “Secure Competition and Innovation in the software development,” obliges the German government to take steps to ensure that software is protected by copyright only and no additional patent protection is granted.

UN Economic Commission For Europe Looks At Innovation

Last week’s event on the “the role of innovation in creating a dynamic and competitive economy,” held at the 65th session of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), gave an opportunity to a panel of experts to discuss the role of innovation in the current European economic circumstances as a tool to improve productivity and competitiveness by different means.

Greek Gene Bank’s Struggle Indicative Of Changing Times

Gene banks holding plant genetic material worldwide play a crucial role for future agricultural practices and research and development in the field, especially as people rediscover the importance of their dependence on the land due to the financial situation. The present financial crisis may generate opportunities and losses. This can be illustrated by the Gene Bank of Greece, an institution traditionally rich in genetic material and of global interest.

Questions Follow Sharp Rise In Investor-State Disputes, Far-Reaching Cases

At an unprecedented rate, private companies are using "investor-state" provisions in trade agreements negotiated by governments to challenge foreign government regulations, often made on behalf of the public, a United Nations report has found. And the majority of target governments are developing or transition economies, most of the time being challenged by companies in developed countries.

South Korea Military Fights High Price Of Patented R&D

Korea Intellectual Property Office (KIPO) Commissioner Young-min Kim has joined military leaders and patent attorneys in signing a “Working agreement for the building of a military intellectual property (IP) ecosystem." A key aim is to avoid high-cost private-sector patent monopolies on military R&D.