Original news and analysis on international IP policy
The president of the World Intellectual Property Organization staff association earlier this month raised profound concerns about ongoing practices involving staff at the UN institution. The WIPO director general then took the floor to address many of the concerns, offering explanations on various points, according to participants. In the end, both sides may be looking for an improvement this year.
The latest instalment of the World Intellectual Property Organization seminar series, “The Economics of Intellectual Property,” set out to answer the question of whether the process of digitisation has affected the supply of new creative works.
A lively keynote address urging international organisations to adopt a fact-based view of the world and new ways of segmenting countries in an increasingly convergent world, set the scene for the annual trilateral symposium on public health, intellectual property and trade taking place at the World Trade Organization today.
Trade, health, and intellectual property came together today as the heads of three specialised international organisations held an annual symposium to stimulate discussions on how the three can best help public health, and notably access to medicines in developing countries.
NAIROBI, Kenya – A Kenyan government plan to lift the ban on genetically modified organisms (GMOs) is stirring a heated debate here, with experts warning on safety and the East African nation’s preparedness for the technology.
CAPE TOWN, South Africa - While Médecins Sans Frontières have blamed stock-outs of ‘Aluvia’ on the refusal to licence a patent for a generic of the HIV medicine in South Africa by AbbVie pharmaceutical company leading to persistent supply problems, the company said it has taken measures to address the problem.
By Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch After another heated debate, the European Parliament today voted down several amendments aimed at strengthening network neutrality in the new telecommunications package which has been on the agenda of the European Union for…
A revealing independent review to be published this week on WIPO Re:Search, the World Intellectual Property Organization initiative for development of medical products for neglected tropical diseases, malaria and tuberculosis, gives a set of recommendations to ensure the sustainability and success of the initiative.
Royalty collection is on the rise, according to an international confederation of collecting societies, with Europe being the most fruitful market and North America showing the highest growth. Digital income now equals physical revenues from royalties, the report says, and performing rights account for the bulk of collections.
The ongoing reform of the Russian system of intellectual property may be suspended, due to recent criticism of some of its aspects by the Russian Parliament (State Duma).
The treaty on plant genetic resources held its governing body meeting earlier this month with new initiatives to bring financial sustainability to the treaty, in particular to study the possibility of a subscription system to access the treaty’s plant genetic materials. Also, the Governing Body approved the first work programme of a global information system, which includes an initiative to enhance the use of gene bank materials, to the dismay of farmers’ organisations.
The United States Copyright Office has issued a draft strategic plan for 2016-2020, with a 30-day comment period. The draft strategic plan is available here. The United States Copyright Office “supports a vibrant marketplace of creativity and innovation that, in…