Original news and analysis on international IP policy
By William New Confronted with longstanding assertions that World Trade Organization rules intended to bring greater access to medicines to poor countries are not working, WTO Director General Pascal Lamy said Tuesday discontented members should use the annual review of…
By Kaitlin Mara An avian influenza outbreak would be a public health disaster, but for the World Health Organization to adequately prepare for that risk, member states must come to a resolution on intellectual property issues related to virus and…
By Drew Clark for Intellectual Property Watch WASHINGTON, DC – With major legislative changes to the United States patent system unfinished as the 110th Congress prepares to dissolve, Executive- and Judicial-branch agencies on Friday jostled for authority over future patent…
By Kaitlin Mara Delegates negotiating on intellectual property issues at the World Trade Organization were able to set aside procedural debates Friday and focus on substantive technical issues in the body tasked with creating a multilateral register for geographical indications…
By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch
Before a packed audience, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) Friday tackled the highly controversial dispute between the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and much of the patent bar over rules capping the number of continuation requests and claims patent seekers can submit without incurring additional expenses and paperwork.
By David Cronin for Intellectual Property Watch BRUSSELS – Leading pharmaceutical companies are using the patent system to delay the entry of generic medicines onto the market, the European Commission has alleged, sparking a debate at a conference held here…
By Kaitlin Mara The body at the World Trade Organization tasked with negotiating a multilateral register for geographically-named wines and spirits began what could be several days of meetings Thursday with a question and answer session meant to find common…
By Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch HYDERABAD, INDIA – The Internet Governance Forum of the United Nations is halfway through its first term and starting to think about its future after 2010. Gathering in Hyderabad, India this week, it…
By Kaitlin Mara The World Trade Organization body mandated to discuss a registry for geographical indications met Monday, with the only resulting agreement being to meet again later this week for further, more technical, discussions. Several ambassadors were present at…
By Kaitlin Mara Delegates are buckling down on key negotiating issues in the final days they have to decide whether or not there can be a high-level meeting of government ministers in December, and intellectual property-related issues appear still to…
By Wagdy Sawahel for Intellectual Property Watch An intellectual property “roadmap” for the Arab world has been proposed for facilitating technology transfer as well as the adaptation of acquired technologies to local needs and contributing to the evolution of new…
By David Cronin for Intellectual Property Watch BRUSSELS – Europe’s copyright rules are ill-suited to an age when millions of music files can be accessed at the click of a mouse, a Brussels conference has been told. About eight million…