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Special Report: Russia Amends IP Law In Advance Of WTO Accession

By September of this year, Russia is expected to become the 154th member of the World Trade Organization - 19 years after the accession application was received and the Working Party on the Accession of the Russian Federation established in June 1993. In advance of the accession, the Russian intellectual property rights law is being amended to meet the WTO accession requirements.

New CBD Head: IPR Still Key To Nagoya Protocol On Access And Benefit-Sharing

NEW DELHI - The “Nagoya Protocol,” an international agreement struck in the Japanese town of Nagoya in October 2010, has nearly 100 signatory countries, and is a major talking point in the international discourse on biodiversity. But ratification by the governments of these countries remains painfully slow, and the process towards it fraught with daunting challenges, as was evident last week during a key inter-governmental meeting in the Indian capital New Delhi. In an interview with Intellectual Property Watch, the new head of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity had much to say about intellectual property rights.

WIPO Folklore Committee Stuck In Starting Blocks; Indigenous Peoples Wave UN Declaration

On opening day of weeklong meeting of the World Intellectual Property Organization committee on the protection of folklore, what was characterised as a procedural matter by the chair kept delegates in informal consultations most of the day without reaching a compromise on the agenda. And at the outset, a panel of Indigenous Peoples reminded delegates of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples and called for considerations of the Declaration during this week's negotiations.

UN Human Rights Council Tackles IPRs, Benefits Of Scientific Progress

The United Nations Human Rights Council last week adopted a resolution promoting cultural rights and diversity, with a commitment to hold a seminar next year on the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications. The resolution includes continuing support for a special observer on the issue who recently submitted a report raising questions about the impact of intellectual property rights on the diffusion of knowledge.

WIPO Committee Makes Last Run At Folklore Treaty Text Before Annual Assembly

The last session of the World Intellectual Property Organization committee on the protection of folklore before the annual General Assembly promises to be lively as the prospect of a potential treaty exacerbates stronghold positions. The treaty fervently supported by developing countries as a way to protect their cultural heritage and biodiversity has met a more cautious view from developed countries.