Original news and analysis on international IP policy
Two officials have been appointed to the Office of the United States Trade Representative: Michael Punke as deputy USTR and permanent representative to the World Trade Organization in Geneva, and Isi Siddiqui as the new chief agricultural negotiator.
World Trade Organization Director General Pascal Lamy on Friday said that there are “technically no insurmountable obstacles” in resolving the long-struggling Doha Round of trade liberalisation talks this year, but that this timeline was always a political rather than technical…
The UN Human Rights Council yesterday extended the mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the right to food for three years. The resolution, A, adopted without a vote, requests that the special rapporteur “continue to monitor the evolution of the…
The European Court of Justice has ruled that Google did not infringe trademark law “by allowing advertisers to bid for keywords corresponding to their competitors’ trademarks,” according to the Google blog. The internet search engine said it is satisfied with…
David Lammy, United Kingdom Minister for Intellectual Property, today said the UK supports the European Union’s position that the text of the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) should be made public. “The UK has long been in favour of greater transparency…
World Trade Organization Director General Pascal Lamy has announced to member states that governments’ differences on two key intellectual property issues have been “better illuminated” by an ongoing informal consultation process, though he added, “I would not say that the…
The Brazilian government today announced the start of a process of public consultation on suspension of concessions or obligations of intellectual property rights from the United States. The government on 15 March published a resolution of the Chamber of External…
Patients with HIV/AIDS today protested in New Delhi against negotiations for a European Union-India free trade agreement that they say will restrict access to cheaper versions of critical medicines in developing countries. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF, or Doctors without Borders)…
“Competition and real innovation” will be increasingly difficult if the patent system in Europe is not reformed, the European Generic Medicines Association (EGA) said today at its “Legal Affairs Forum,” which took place on 11 March. The European Patent Office…
The United Nations International Telecommunication Union (ITU) today released an annual report on information and communications technologies that prompted it to push governments to support continued investment in network rollouts and technology upgrades while pursuing regulations that support still-growing demand…
Today the Brazilian government published a list of US goods that will be subject to higher import taxes when entering Brazil, according to a press release. This follows a WTO dispute settlement decision giving Brazil the authorisation to suspend Brazil’s…
The World Trade Organization group tasked with negotiating an international register for geographical indications (product names associated with a particular place and characteristics) on wines and spirits will continue to discuss a set of questions and principles about the GI…