Original news and analysis on international IP policy
The Global Innovation Index 2012 launched today by the World Intellectual Property Organization and INSEAD shows a clear innovation divide in world economies. It advises countries to maintain their efforts to support and foster innovation despite the lingering economic crisis, as a key element of sustainable growth.
EU Trade Commissioner Karl De Gucht today made a last appeal to the European Parliament today to delay the decision on the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) in order to allow the European Court of Justice to give its opinion. But he met with strong indications that a rejection of the controversial agreement may be coming tomorrow.
PRAGUE, Czech Republic - The multi-stakeholder model of internet governance is the responsibility of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), Fadi Chehadé, designated new CEO of ICANN said at the 44th meeting of the private body in Prague last week.
The United States government on 2 July announced it has awarded a contract to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) to manage a key underlying function of the internet for up to 7 years.
A key committee of the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-Sharing treaty aimed at ensuring fair sharing of the benefits of genetic resources is meeting this week in New Delhi.
A little-known United Nations office fighting illicit drugs and counterfeit goods globally appears to be building a programme of private sector donations for its anti-counterfeiting work.
The United Kingdom government will publish draft updates to the UK copyright licensing system later this week, keeping strong criminal penalties, it said today.
World Health Organization Director General Margaret Chan was re-elected for another term at the annual May World Health Assembly. Now the WHO has issued a "report card" showing how she kept her promises during the first term. This includes a range of steps to ensure new drugs are affordable and accessible, even if intellectual property rights make them high-priced.
After years of at times embarrassing political and procedural wrangling, members of the European Union today agreed to create a single patent system for 25 EU member states, including a unified patent court split between Paris, Munich and London. The decision also contains a copyright element.
The UN World Intellectual Property Organization is centre stage when it comes to international IP policymaking, and has hosted great progress during the past 20 years by all accounts. But apart from updates and modifications to existing treaties, and its 2007 Development Agenda, its members have not managed to complete a major new treaty since 1996. Until now.
The accessibility and affordability of drugs in developing countries depend on robust generic competition and would benefit from greater transparency in the terms and conditions of licensing agreements, the acting head of the Medicines Patent Pool said on a panel at the World Intellectual Property Organization that included a speaker from the Indian generics industry and a representative of Gilead Sciences.
More than 130 members of the United States Congress have sent a letter to the US Trade Representative demanding greater access to the still-secret Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP) negotiations, while a new bill is being introduced to reform US trade policy. And another Congress member who earlier publicly leaked the intellectual property rights chapter of the agreement has sent a request to be included as a member of the US delegation to the negotiations.