Category Trademarks/Geographical Indications/Domains

Governments, WHO, Reveal Industry’s Back-Channel Battle Against Tobacco Legislation

The shadow of the tobacco industry was present at last week’s annual World Health Assembly, featuring the villain in what World Health Organization Director General Margaret Chan called a theatre of the absurd. The tactics of the "evil industry," as she called it, aimed at undermining countries' efforts to implement tobacco control legislations were illustrated with concrete country examples at a side event during the week.

Golden Oldies? South African High Court Looks At What Is “Traditional”

The question of the use of material in the public domain for the inspiration of new works has been complicated in South Africa by legislation which purports to grant retrospective perpetual protection to so-called “traditional works”. A case pending in the South African High Court highlights the question of what is “traditional” and raises the question of to whom music companies will have to look in the future to obtain permission to use anything that smacks of a traditional flavour. Prof. Owen Dean asks: Could this be a disincentive to use traditional material belonging in the public domain and thus slow cultural expression?

World Health Assembly: Members Gavel New Mechanism To Fight Poor-Quality Medicines

World Health Organization member states have decided to establish a new mechanism for international collaboration to prevent and control “substandard, spurious, falsely-labelled, falsified and counterfeit medical products” (SSFFC). Excluding trade and intellectual property considerations, this mechanism is called to approach the problem strictly from a public health perspective.

At WSIS Forum, Divisions Arise Over Future Of Internet Governance

The World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum 2012 was hailed as a success at its closing ceremony today by the secretary general of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU). Yet sharp debates about the reluctance of the UN to hire an executive secretary for the Internet Governance Forum, the reluctance of the ITU to allow the global public to see and contribute to the coming International Telecommunication Regulations (ITR), and the need for a new UN platform for enhanced cooperation clearly illustrated that the global internet governance ship is cruising through rough seas.

US Legal Academics Call For Congressional Review Of ACTA

An open letter was sent yesterday from 50 American legal academics encouraging members of the United States Senate Finance Committee to exercise their Constitutional responsibility to ensure that the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) is treated as a binding international agreement requiring legislative ratification and sent to Senate for approval.

After Sharp Concerns, Cooperation Prevails On UNCTAD’s Mandate For Next Four Years

After the thirteenth quadrennial session of the United Nations body focusing on trade and development, which was to set its mandate for the next four years, delegates reached consensus and avoided major pitfalls, according to several developed and developing country sources. The governments also worked out differences on UNCTAD’s mandate for work on intellectual property rights.

World Summit On The Information Society Review Launches

The information and communications technology (ICT) for development community is meeting in Geneva this week for a series of conferences on the 2003-2005 World Summit on the Information Society. Government stakeholders, civil society, and the private sector will evaluate progress towards meeting the goals set at the last WSIS in Tunis in 2005 and establish new common goals looking beyond 2015.

Fast By Senior WIPO Official Raises Old Staff Questions At UN Agency

A senior official at the World Intellectual Property Organization recently sent an internal letter to WIPO Director General Francis Gurry announcing that he would be undertaking a fast, depriving himself of food during a period of reflection in protest of his treatment as staff after more than two decades there. And while the complaint is a personal one, the official’s letter brings attention to the sometimes uncomfortable strategic realignment taking place at the UN agency.