Category IP-Watch Briefs

A new study finds that publicly funded research has had a greater positive impact on public health than previously believed.

The non-profit ETC Group has released a report on global governance of nanoscale technologies that showed that thousands of patents are being granted on this still little understood area of science.

The United States Chamber of Commerce, the industry lobbying giant in Washington, has issued its 2011 intellectual property agenda. The list of suggested legislative changes to be made by the Obama administration and the US Congress aim at further increasing resources and support for IP enforcement, including legislation to block websites deemed to infringe on IP rights.

The recently completed Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), negotiated by the countries that own most of the world's intellectual property rights, is aimed at developing countries they hope will give value to those rights by protecting them, leaked documents show, according to French group La Quadrature du Net.

A study by the Canadian Generic Pharmaceuticals Association (CGPA) suggests that the European Union’s (EU) proposed changes to Canada’s patent system could add nearly $3 billion to Canada’s prescription drug bill.

The United States Intellectual Property Enforcement Coordinator today issued an annual report on IP enforcement. One year after her appointment, Coordinator Victoria Espinel claimed significant progress on the plan for the office set up to coordinate IP enforcement activities across various US government agencies.

The United States Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday approved a slightly amended version of the Patent Reform Act of 2011.

A call for papers has been issued for an upcoming event on intellectual property rights, gender and traditional cultural expressions. Abstracts for papers are due on 18 February.

The United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) released data today that show Asian economies increased their share of global exports of information and communication technology (ICT) goods in 2009 over the previous year. This means the global financial crisis further shifted trade in these goods toward Asia, UNCTAD said.