Original news and analysis on international IP policy
The issue of technical assistance and capacity building established a clear divide during World Intellectual Property Organization discussions on a potential new treaty on industrial designs today.
The work on a potential new treaty on industrial designs law and practice is at full throttle at the World Intellectual Property Organization with delegates trying to agree on common rules and procedures. The new treaty is expected to make life easier for the millions of industrial designs applicants worldwide.
The World Intellectual Property Organization today issued its annual World Intellectual Property Indicators report showing that despite the "continued fragility of global economy," intellectual property is still performing. The report was issued as WIPO members are discussing a potential new treaty on industrial designs law and practice, with a view of harmonising rules and procedures worldwide.
A years'-long struggle ended Tuesday when the European Parliament overwhelmingly backed the creation of a unitary EU patent and patent litigation court system. The vote followed Monday's approval by the Council of Ministers. But hard feelings over a last-minute government compromise, and continuing concerns about whether the new regime will make patenting in Europe cheaper and more accessible to smaller enterprises, continued to rankle. The European Court of Justice (ECJ), meanwhile, appears headed toward rejection of a legal challenge by Italy and Spain, who have refused to join the unitary patent system.
Manila, Philippines – Another destructive typhoon was battering southern Philippines last week, but this did not stop the majority of the delegates coming from the provinces near the affected areas from flying to the capital to attend what organisers touted as a trailblazing programme that has the potential to raise awareness of sophisticated intellectual property tools and policies at the grassroots level in developing countries.
Delegates to the World Intellectual Property Organization this week are expected to have a focussed session on the protection of industrial designs. The last meeting of the committee in charge of this issue ended disappointingly for proponents of a quick path to a treaty on industrial design, but the committee was mandated by the October WIPO General Assembly to expedite work on the matter.
Brussels, Belgium - As the value of intellectual property reaches unprecedented heights, policymakers, business leaders, and legal experts discussed the need for international patent harmonisation during a two-day patent conference in Brussels last week. With the vote on the European unitary patent and common litigation system just days away from parliamentary vote, participants focussed on what the new system may mean to business.
There has been a tidal wave of severe criticism of the South African government’s proposed legislation to provide for protection for traditional knowledge in domestic South African law, writes Prof. Owen Dean. Now, the criticism seems to align with accepted international views.
The United States Congress passed a bill on 5 December that implements several international treaty obligations, including a treaty on industrial design, according to sources. The bill now heads to President Obama for signature.
Preliminary findings of a survey aimed at mapping the current prevailing ideas on intellectual property confirmed recognised trends that academics and intergovernmental IP professionals look more favourably on weaker IP protection, and traditional North-South differences toward IP rights are becoming less clear cut. It also found that policymakers tend to rely heavily on statistics from industry to help them with their decisions, whether reliable or not.
The Washington Legal Foundation held an event on 29 November entitled, “Standards-Essential Patents: Where Do IP Protections End and Antitrust Concerns Begin?” The video of the event has been made publicly available.
The international intellectual property rights system must urgently make headway toward an easier-to-use, globally agreed upon, inclusive and effective architecture, a high-level panel of IP policy leaders said on 29 November.