Original news and analysis on international IP policy
The United States today took a swipe at India’s intellectual property rights policies and enforcement, asserting that it is out of sync with international practices but stopping short of suggesting that its 2005 IP law is out of compliance with World Trade Organization rules.
Over the objections of eight countries, ministers from the European Union on Monday extended copyright protection for performers and record producers from 50 to 70 years. The move brought cheers from the recording industry and copyright royalty collecting societies, but doubts from some governments and jeers from a major consumer group.
The United States Senate on Tuesday was debating patent reform legislation that would make the first significant reforms to the US patent system in nearly 60 years.
The Indian Supreme Court today is expected to hear Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis’ case against a provision of Indian patent law aimed at preventing the extension of drug patents for minor changes in existing products, a practice known as evergreening.
In a long-awaited decision, a United States federal appeals court has decided that US companies can patent breast cancer genes, reversing a previous ruling. The decision was not unanimous, with one of the three judges dissenting. But despite the attention the case has received, the ruling may have little impact on the biotechnology industry, according to analysts.
Delegates working on an international instrument to protect traditional knowledge and folklore against misappropriation today agreed this afternoon to ask the World Intellectual Property Organization General Assembly in September to extend the mandate of the committee working on those issues.
Delegates at the World Intellectual Property Organization this week continued work on evolving draft texts of treaties to protect genetic resources, traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions (TCEs), or folklore. But more work will be needed to complete them, according to participants.
As the mandate of the World Intellectual Property committee on the protection of genetic resources, traditional knowledge, and folklore is reaching its end, diplomats meeting this week seem to be coming to agreement on its extension. Meanwhile, a group of developing countries submitted proposals for each of the three legs of the committee, to be considered as delegates go through draft negotiating texts produced at the last session of the committee.
World Intellectual Property Organization member countries next week will work on draft negotiating texts on the protection of genetic resources, traditional knowledge and folklore. New recommendations by a set of developing countries are calling for a diplomatic conference in 2013, and to extend the work of the committee in charge of reaching an international instrument, as its mandate ends this year.
The World Intellectual Property Organization has taken its first public steps in the climate change debate by holding a conference on the subject this week. The organisation’s expertise in intellectual property policy and technology transfer is being sought by several other actors in the field, in particular the United Nations climate change agency.