Interview With David Lammy, UK Minister of Intellectual Property
In a short videocast, Lammy offers his views on global public policy, patent backlogs, patent pools and the role of WIPO.
Intellectual Property Watch
Original news and analysis on international IP policy
Category English
G8 Public Health Report Cites IP, Innovation
The Group of 8 industrialised countries plus Russia have issued their report on global public health, and a preliminary report on accountability. The 165-page health report (mostly annexes) encourages implementation of the World Health Organization strategy on intellectual property rights…
How To Avert The Coming Drug Access Crisis
Interview With Ellen ‘t Hoen, Senior IP Advisor At UNITAID, author of "The Global Politics of Pharmaceutical Monopoly Power."
Special Report: The Swedish Author’s Take On The Catcher In The Rye Copyright Case
COPENHAGEN – Windupbird Publishing owned by Swedish author Fredrik Colting, alias John David California, promises that its books will “tickle your feet and yank your soul.” But American author J.D. Salinger is not amused and has indeed been wound up by Colting's latest book, which he says is infringing on the copyright of his best-seller, "Catcher in the Rye." A New York court recently sided with Salinger, but Intellectual Property Watch talked to Colting about why the battle is bound to go on.
G8: Amid Talks Of Climate, Economy, Food And Health Lies IP & Innovation
Leaders of the seven biggest economies and Russia (G8) at their annual summit this week in L'Aquila, Italy have made very cautious commitments with regard to the top issue, climate change, but views on intellectual property rights enforcement began to become clear on the second day. The summit so far has addressed issues related to trade, development, terrorism, and also innovation and IP.
Statements in the leaders' Wednesday declaration with regard to intellectual property called for a firm push for the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), which is unchanged from the past. But the G8 IP Expert Group (IPEG) on Thursday published the results of its discussion in which they went into more detail on some issues.
Too Pricey For A Patent? Glivec Rejected
Novartis’s patent application for Glivec, a blood cancer drug, was recently ruled not patentable by the Intellectual Property Appellate Board of India (IPAB) for failing to meet the requirements under section 3(d) of the Indian Patent Act, which states that…
WCO Kills “SECURE” Group, But Creates Health Enforcement Mandate
The World Customs Organization at its annual assembly in late June replaced a controversial group on counterfeiting and piracy with a softer dialogue mechanism that may defuse earlier concerns of potential overreaching on intellectual property infringement by customs officials. But it added a new mandate on health to a separate committee on enforcement that could raise new concerns.
Hadopi 2 Passes French Senate
A French bill to protect literary and artistic intellectual property rights on the internet passed the French Senate last night with 189 votes in favour over 142 votes against its adoption. A law creating a high-level authority for the protection…
EU Finds Anti-Competitive Abuse Of Pharmaceutical Patents, Launches Antitrust Action
Pharmaceutical companies are manipulating the intellectual property rights system and are “actively trying to delay the entry of generic medicines onto their markets,” a top EU official said of an EU inquiry into the pharmaceutical sector released Wednesday. As a result, there has been a decline in the number of innovative medicines getting to the market, it says.
Next ACTA Meeting 16-17 July In Morocco
The closely held date of the next negotiating meeting on the Anti-Counterfeit Trade Agreement (ACTA) is 16-17 July in Morocco, according to an official source. The ACTA negotiation has roiled activists and others for being conducted mostly in secret with…
Kenyan AIDS Patients Seek To Overturn Anti-Counterfeiting Law As Unconstitutional
NAIROBI - Three HIV/AIDS patients in Kenya announced Tuesday they will petition the country's Constitutional Court to declare a new anti-counterfeiting act illegal because it could deny them access to generic medicines. The move, which has the support of public health groups across the country, seeks to have the 2008 Anti-Counterfeiting Act made unconstitutional on the grounds that it could rob them of their right to life.
Special Report – ICANN: New CEO, New Government Role, Accelerated International Domains
With three important processes coming to a head at the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) this year, it is difficult not to overlook some changes in the private body, which oversees the internet domain name system. At ICANN's recent board meeting, the appointment of a shiny new CEO, former United States Homeland Security Department cybersecurity director Rod Beckstrom, drew attention away from top issues, which include the introduction of new top-level domains, ongoing institutional reform, and the looming September expiration of the ICANN-US government agreement.