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UN Biodiversity Convention Agrees On Precautionary Approach To Synthetic Biology

SHARM El-SHEIKH, Egypt -- While the world has been taken by surprise after a Chinese researcher declared he had genetically modified twin babies, and critics are rising from all parts, the Convention on Biological Diversity adopted a decision on synthetic biology today at the close of its biennial meeting. The decision which calls for a precautionary approach was hailed by civil society groups which were calling for a moratorium preventing gene drive organisms to be released in the wild.

Do Patent Trolls Exist? Two Studies Reach Different Conclusions (Part 1)

They are called many things. Patent Assertion Entities (PAEs), Non-Practicing Entities (NPEs), Patent Trolls, and on occasion, names not suitable in polite company. They often are accused of harming innovation and the economy, while providing nothing useful in return. They, less often, are said to promote innovation, in part by helping small inventors monetize their discoveries. Two recent academic studies attempt to shed light on this dispute, but their findings seem contradictory – at least at first.

Shared Indigenous Knowledge And Benefit-Sharing Needs Particular Attention, Panel Tells CBD

SHARM El-SHEIKH, Egypt -- Traditional knowledge associated with genetic resources held by indigenous and local communities is often not confined to one group or one specific geographical location. Displacement whether cultural or forced, political redesigning of borders, and exchanges with other communities have all contributed to the dispersion of that knowledge. This shared knowledge poses an issue in the context of benefit-sharing of commercial benefits on inventions derived from this knowledge. A side event on the side of the biennial meeting of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity looked at how to address shared traditional knowledge.

Gene Editing Divides UN Biodiversity Convention Members On Synthetic Biology Evaluation

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt -- After informal closed consultations, a draft decision was issued yesterday on how the UN Convention on Biological Diversity should address potential impacts of synthetic biology, during the biennial conference of the parties taking place this week. The issue of the release of gene drive organisms into the environment was a contentious issue as civil society had been lobbying for a moratorium preventing the release into the wild of those organisms able to wipe out entire species. This morning consensus was still eluding delegates, particularly over the singling out of gene editing in the decision.

New Database Documents The Power Of TRIPS Flexibilities

Ellen 't Hoen writes: Medicines Law & Policy has published an on-line database of instances of the use of TRIPS flexibilities in public health contexts, titled the TRIPS Flexibilities Database. The publication of the TRIPS Flexibilities Database merits sharing a bit of its history because it has been a work in progress for some time. The database includes cases of actual use of TRIPS flexibilities and instances in which countries planned or threatened to use them. The collection of such cases started ten years ago as part of a research project to document and examine the uptake of the flexibilities contained in the TRIPS Agreement in medicines procurement.

Open Music Initiative: Seeking To Drive The Beat On Global Standards, Rights Attribution

NEW YORK – The Open Music Initiative provides a forum for collaboration across academic, tech and music industry stakeholders around the world, and is working to develop the global standards for music rights attribution that could stand for the next 100 years. Establishing such standards will enable fair compensation to rights holders and creators, and establish a basis for ongoing innovation in the music industry, leading to new digital platforms and services, and new music, according to Open Music members.

German Hate Speech Legislation Receives Mixed Review At German Internet Governance Forum

BERLIN -- Germany's controversial hate speech legislation is working well, a representative of the German Ministry of Justice said during a panel today (27 November) at the German national Internet Governance Forum in Berlin.

CBD Negotiating Group Issues Draft Decision On Genetic Resources Data

SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt -- The co-chairs of a contact group working to find consensus language on a decision on genetic resources data issued a new draft this afternoon at the UN Convention on Biological Diversity meetings in Egypt.

New US ‘Compromise’ Proposal On Broadcasting Treaty At WIPO Stirs Fresh Negotiations

Members of the World Intellectual Property Organization copyright committee today are locked away in a private room negotiating on a draft text for global treaty to boost the rights of broadcasters. A key element of the debate, according to participants at this week’s meeting, is a new proposal put forward by the United States that seeks to clarify the scope of protection of the treaty and preserve national-level approaches.