Category Subscribers

New International Pharma Industry Leader Brings Prospect Of Change

By William New
Alicia Greenidge represents a change for the global pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry, but as she grows into her role as the head of the industry's international trade association, it is unclear whether there will be substantive changes on policy relating to intellectual property and public health. Key policy areas include counterfeit medicines and funding for research and development into diseases afflicting poor populations in ways that echo past industry approaches, but Greenidge brings a new focus on networking and negotiation.

Document From WIPO Details Strategy On IP, Climate Change

By Kaitlin Mara
A draft document on climate change and intellectual property, prepared for informal consultations by the World Intellectual Property Organization and obtained by Intellectual Property Watch, shows WIPO poised to take a role in technical matters of IP and the global climate crisis.

Draft Programme Of WIPO Funder Meeting For Development

The World Intellectual Property Organization secretariat has circulated a draft programme for a funders' meeting for IP and development in 2009 that includes proposed panels on IP projects in developing countries; science and innovation for development; WIPO-World Trade Organization cooperation; digital content in developing countries; work with indigenous communities; and reading access for the blind and visually impaired. The secretariat is expected to begin consultations on the proposed programme this week. Also released at the recent WIPO General Assembly was the statement by the WIPO Audit Committee chair, and the report by the Swiss Federal Audit Office of WIPO's 2006-2007 budget.

US Appeals Court Hears High-Profile Case On USPTO Power Over Patent Rules

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.

Peer To Patent System May Become Model For Patent Offices

By Liza Porteus Viana for Intellectual Property Watch
A pilot patent peer review system in the United States could serve as a model for patent offices around the globe.

New York Law School, in cooperation with the US Patent and Trademark Office, is in its second year of Peer To Patent, an innovative initiative that opens the patent examination process to public participation. The online system allows the public to supply prior art to assess the claims of pending patent applications. The goal is to provide patent examiners with as much information as possible, and ultimately increase the quality of approved patents.

Brand Owners Urge Caution On New Top-Level Internet Domain Names

By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch
Trademark owners are not likely to benefit from the approval by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) of a predicted 500 new generic top-level domain names (gTLDs), industry speakers said at a 25 November Web seminar on protecting and promoting brands online. Potential risks include the need for defensive domain-name registrations in many TLDs and the lack of an effective procedure for resolving disputes, they said.

IP In Biotechnology In Need Of A New Start, Experts Say

By Catherine Saez
PARIS - Biotechnology is in dire need of a change to its business model, restoring trust among all actors and building partnerships, according to participants in a recent seminar here. After nearly thirty years, the industry still is not making profits, the field seems to be running out of steam, and controversies over patents in the health and agriculture areas have influenced public opinion, they said.

EU Favours Disclosure Of Computer Patents Before Standards Are Set

By David Cronin for Intellectual Property Watch
BRUSSELS - Computer firms may be required to divulge details of patents they hold before technology standards are set, a senior European Commission official has said.

More than a year after the European Court of Justice ruled that Microsoft was abusing its dominant position in order to prevent its products being compatible with programmes developed by rivals, Brussels policymakers are continuing to assess what implications the judgment has for intellectual property and antitrust law.

Trademark Protection, Broadcast Rights Vital For Sports, Say Stakeholders

By Kaitlin Mara
Intellectual property protection is key to the innovation and infrastructure surrounding athletic achievement, said speakers at a World Intellectual Property Organization training event for journalists last week. Trademark protection, copyright protection and other forms of IP rights ensure that the organisations that promote sport and its participants can continue their work, they argued.

November Edition of IP-Watch Monthly Reporter Now Available

The Intellectual Property Watch Monthly Reporter features the most important news on international IP policymaking, the latest on who is coming and going in the IP community at the United Nations, World Trade Organization, Geneva missions, regional and national IP…

US Elections, Global Economy Are Major Challenges For US IP Association

By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch
THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS - The American Intellectual Property Law Association faces profound political, legislative and administrative challenges in coming months, new Executive Director Q. Todd Dickinson said in a 13 November interview in The Hague. Key among them are major changes at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in the new Obama administration, the fate of patent reform in the new US Congress, and the impact, if any, of the global economic downturn on patents, he said.