Original news and analysis on international IP policy
By Sinfah Tunsarawuth for Intellectual Property Watch BANGKOK – Thai and foreign public health campaigners on Friday urged governments to exercise their right over patent owners to provide access to cheaper essential medicines for the poor. They also called for…
By David Cronin for Intellectual Property Watch
European Union governments on Thursday agreed the main components of a patent litigation system that will apply throughout the 27-country bloc.
EU ministers for industrial competitiveness gave their broad approval on 22 November to a blueprint for having a single judicial body to assess legal actions which contest the validity of a patent.
In the ongoing WHO debate over the sharing of virus strains and benefits accruing from that sharing (including potential patenting), Indonesia has been facing off against much of the developed world and its industry in seeking new strong measures to…
By David Cronin for Intellectual Property Watch BRUSSELS – South Korea has been urged to strengthen its intellectual property rules in order to sign a free trade agreement with the European Union. Talks are underway between the EU and the…
By William New The politically explosive issue of ensuring everyone benefits from vaccines in the event of an influenza pandemic is the subject of a negotiation underway at the World Health Organization this week. The work of the member governments…
By William New The World Health Organization, which has intensively debated intellectual property rights issues in recent years, has restructured its management of the issues, elevating IP to the director general’s office. “[The restructuring] shows the importance that the director…
By William New When Kamil Idris, the director general of the United Nations World Intellectual Property Organization, informed staff last week that the process for electing his successor would occur one year early, it was met with mixed reactions. It…
This item has been removed on request of WIPO.
By Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch RIO DE JANEIRO – Intellectual property-related issues were a topic avoided by governments during the 2003-2005 World Summit on the Information Society, which gave way to the Internet Governance Forum (IGF). But at…
By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch
Makers and distributors of digital storage products and audiovisual media last week urged France's highest administrative court to kill private copy levies on technologies for transferring data such as USB keys, external hard disks and memory cards.
The challenges, filed 9 November in the Conseil d'Etat by e-merchant Rue du Commerce and the Syndicat des Industries de Mat�riels Audiovisuels Electroniques (SIMAVELEC), contend that the lack of harmonised levies among European Union countries violates EU law and hurts online sellers.
The legal action came one day after the European Grouping of Societies of Authors and Composers (GESAC) argued that non-payment of levies should be made a criminal offence.
The Intellectual Property Watch Monthly Reporter features the most important news on international IP policymaking, the latest on who is coming and going in the IP community at the United Nations, World Trade Organization, Geneva missions, regional and national IP…
By Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch RIO DE JANEIRO – The debate over whether the Internet Governance Forum (IGF) should grow beyond its no-decisions, dialogue-only capacity was under consideration from the opening of the meeting here Monday. While a…