Original news and analysis on international IP policy
By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Editor’s Note: The National Assembly adopted the legislation on 21 March by a vote of 286 in favour and 193 against. It will now go to the Senate in May, according to reports.…
By William New and Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen The European Union on Friday continued its fight at the World Trade Organization for a binding register of traded products that are protected because their names and character derive from places, often…
Key delegations on opposite sides of a proposal at the World Trade Organization to higher protection for geographical indication (GIs) beyond wines and spirits again listened to each other’s arguments today, but neither camp moved closer to compromise, according to…
Intellectual property issues related to biodiversity were the topic of two different sessions at the World Trade Organization on 15 March with minimal progress, according to participants. But the second session, consultations with a senior WTO official, seemed to sharpen…
At the two-day meeting of the World Trade Organization (WTO) council responsible for intellectual property rights, discussions first focused on two new submissions on issues related to the UN Convention on Biodiversity (CBD). The relationship between the CBD and the…
Who is the new Brazilian IP negotiator in Geneva? Did EFF’s Cory Doctorow really leave his day job to write a tell-all about the digital rights management “wars”? What are the hottest new research papers on IP policy? Find out…
The World Trade Organization committee addressing intellectual property will face a full range of issues when it convenes for the first of three scheduled meetings this year. The 14-15 March meeting of the Council on the Agreement on Trade-Related Aspects…
Discussions at an open forum last week on a possible harmonisation of international patent laws showed that countries do not only disagree on whether it would be useful or not but also have different expectations on what such a harmonisation…
An open forum at the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) explored the complexities of a possible worldwide harmonisation of patent rules in a mostly amicable environment. Work on harmonising the global patent system under a draft Substantive Patent Law Treaty…
By Martin Vaughan for Intellectual Property Watch WASHINGTON, DC – Public health activists are condemning recent terms agreed to by Colombia, Peru and Central American countries in bilateral trade negotiations with the United States, that bind those countries to offer…