Category English

Shhh … UN Declaration On Tuberculosis Draft Text Out For Approval

Negotiators' agreed draft text for a United Nations political declaration on ending tuberculosis worldwide has been posted for all member states to see, and negotiators hope, not comment on. Under a UN procedure, the text has been placed "under silence" until 10:00am New York time on 14 September. If no one breaks the silence, the text is considered agreed and will advance to the High-Level Meeting on tuberculosis on 26 September as part of the annual UN General Assembly.

Should The WIPO Director General Fly First Class?

There are often big issues at stake at the global center for international intellectual property policy in Geneva, but sometimes, the nearly 200 governments that direct the UN World Intellectual Property Organization have to ask themselves questions like, should the director general of WIPO get to fly around the world first-class? Turns out, the answers can vary, but for now, he can carry on.

Welcoming People In Fresh Roles In The IP Community

Looking at movements in the global IP community over the summer and heading into fall, many old faces among the government delegations in Geneva left for new posts, while a new set of faces is taking up residence. Meanwhile, people are on the move at international organisations and NGOs, and law firms continued to see high turnover.

WIPO Sale Of Madrid Union Real Estate In Geneva Comes Under Scrutiny

The UN World Intellectual Property Organization's 7 million Swiss franc sale early this year of a building providing revenue to the Madrid Union on trademarks is being looked at more carefully this week after being flagged by the WIPO external auditor. Meanwhile, WIPO members are considering a recommendation to raise fees on international trademark registration for the first time in 20 years.

Extended Monopolies On Biologic Drugs – A Warning To Developing Countries

Fifa Rahman

Historically, the US has been the primary demandeur of maximalist IP norms in FTAs. Pharmaceutical IP is market-driven, and this is no different for biologic drugs, which dominate the list of bestselling drugs worldwide, making them important economic commodities. Developing country governments must take note of the US pushing for biologics exclusivity through NAFTA as this signifies an effort to change norms worldwide.

WIPO Looks To Diversify Its Revenue Sources From High Dependence On PCT

The World Intellectual Property Organization Program and Budget Committee (PBC), a key member-state body at the UN agency, today opened a week of work on a range of issues. Opening the meeting, WIPO Director General Francis Gurry highlighted the positive financial status of the organisation but cautioned that external factors could make it risky to continue its heavy dependence on the popular Patent Cooperation Treaty.

UN Human Rights Council Begins; Freedom Of Expression Issues Highlighted By Article 19 Group

Today, the UN Human Rights Council begins its 39th Session (HRC 39) in Geneva – over the next three weeks the UN’s top human rights body will come together to discuss and act on some of the world’s most pressing human rights violations and abuses, writes civil society group Article 19. There is a lot on the HRC’s agenda for September, with a number of issues important to the right to freedom of expression to be considered, and it is essential that the Council acts on improving protections. In addition to important reports from OHCHR and from special procedures up for discussion, several thematic and country-specific resolutions will also be negotiated, to be considered for adoption on 20 and 21 September.

WIPO Program And Budget Committee Meeting Topics: New Projects, Reform, Rise In Expenses

The World Intellectual Property Organization Program and Budget Committee, one of the main governing bodies of the organisation, will meet next week to finalize a range of issues on the functioning and work of the UN agency for the year. If WIPO has an insolently good financial status for a United Nations organisation, auditors still made a number of recommendations including on the trademark system managed by WIPO, the rental of space to third parties, the recording of works of art in the building, and late travel authorisations.

Not Just A Matter Of Matter: ‘The Way Forward’ For The UNCBD, NP And Half-Earth

Prof. Joseph Henry Vogel writes: Is information something or is it about something? That is essentially the question before the Fourteenth Conference of the Parties (COP) to the 1993 United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which meets from 19-27 November 2018. And it is a “$64 billion question”. The answer could determine the modality for “access to genetic resources” and “the fair and equitable sharing of benefits” (ABS), which is the third objective of the CBD. If the information conveyed in life is something, then the obligation of benefits could be orders of magnitude greater than if that same information is only about something. Re-phrasing the question: Are Users of genetic resources accessing information? Or are they accessing matter, the properties about which are diffused over organisms and jurisdictions? Information-as-the-answer leads to an economic rationale for tens of billions of dollars in payments per year. Properties-as-the-answer justifies the “peanuts” currently being paid.

Study: Generic Drug Industry Embraces Faster, Cheaper Pathway For Challenging Patents

A new study by researchers at the Program On Regulation, Therapeutics, And Law (PORTAL) at Harvard Medical School and Brigham & Women’s Hospital reveals that generic drug companies have been successful about 50% of the time when challenging patents covering FDA-approved pharmaceutical products via a new, administrative review procedure of patent validity created by Congress called “inter partes review.”