Category Patents/Designs/Trade Secrets

WIPO: Protection Of Country Names Inspires Delegates; Designs Conference Elusive

The use of a country name by third party with no association with the country can have a severe impact on a developing country’s economy, according to the governments of Jamaica and Barbados. The two Caribbean nations are asking this week that the World Intellectual Property Organization undertake a study on the protection of country names in the context of the WIPO Standing Committee on the Law of Trademarks, Industrial Designs and Geographical Indications (SCT).

A Brief Look At Botswana’s New IP Law

Botswana's new industrial property act, which came into force earlier this month, has been applauded by IP commentators as an important step in the development of a strong IP system that is in line with international trends. Copies of the new law and implementing regulations are below.

US And UN Consider New Limits On Patent Wars

The patent wars have produced many casualties around the world. Companies that make and sell smartphones and tablet computers, courts, consumers and the economy - all have suffered, according to many experts.

“I couldn’t come up with a worse system” for handling patent disputes, said Erich Spangenberg, chairman of IP Navigation Group, a consultancy. But significant reforms may be on the way, thanks to the US government and a United Nations agency.

India: Balancing Public And Private Interests In The Intellectual Property Regime

NEW DELHI - In this month, there have been two court orders in India that underscore the complexities underlying the country’s intellectual property regime. Last Friday (14 September), the Chennai-based Intellectual Property Appellate Board (IPAB) which is responsible for hearing appeals on patent applications, rejected a petition by German pharma major Bayer AG, seeking a stay on an order of India’s Controller of Patents granting a compulsory licence (CL) to Indian generic drug maker Natco Pharma Limited, for a drug used to treat liver and kidney cancer.

America Invents Act: Another Piece Of Patent Reform Puzzle Falls Into Place

Another phase of historic patent reform goes into effect next week in the United States, as officials from the US Patent and Trademark Office tour the country, answering questions from stakeholders about forthcoming changes in patent law, thanks to the America Invents Act (AIA). The next batch of rules the USPTO is implementing for the AIA go into effect 16 September.

ACTA: Will It Ever Become A Valid International Treaty?

A quiet and little-publicised ratification process might be the last hope for those pushing for international adoption of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). But while the Japanese legislature managed to finalise their ratification recently, processes in several ACTA signatory states seem to be stalled. Some may ask whether ACTA will ever become an international treaty.

IFPMA Report, Panel, Examine Rise Of Industry Global Health Partnerships

A new report commissioned by international pharmaceutical industry released yesterday offers findings and recommendations based on study of 200 global health partnerships aimed at low- and middle-income countries. The report was released at a panel discussion of a range of health experts who highlighted work to date and upcoming needs in the area of global health partnerships.

How To Reboot WIPO

By this point, I’m sure the entire intellectual property community knows that WIPO has problems, from an investigation of sanctions-busting in its technical assistance programmes going back years to allegations of vote-buying through abuse of the hiring process. It harkens back to the dying days of the term of the last Director-General, Kamil Idris, who left office early under a cloud, writes Nick Ashton-Hart.

Review Of WIPO Shipments To Iran, North Korea Issued; US Calls For New Safeguards

An independent study of the World Intellectual Property Organization’s technical assistance to countries sanctioned by the United Nations was released today, and while it did not conclude whether WIPO violated UN protocol or whether there was any personal gain involved, it did raise questions as to how such behaviour could have been perpetuated from the early 2000s right up to this year.

Separately today, the United States government made a sharp statement in a members-only WIPO meeting raising concerns about WIPO’s technical assistance activities and its viability as an organisation if it does not attain “an appropriate level of oversight, accountability and transparency.” The US called for new safeguards to ensure monthly, quarterly and annual reviews of its technical assistance involving sanctioned member states, and assurances that WIPO staff can speak with risk about past activities.