Original news and analysis on international IP policy
One of the key questions around the impact of patents on health and innovation is what is the appropriate level of protection for companies innovating, says Dr. Marie-Paul Kieny, assistant director-general, Health Systems and Innovation, at the World Health Organization.
As a new year dawns, a lot of movement has been observed in the pharmaceutical industry with new key players taking the lead. Meanwhile, new delegates are covering IP issues in Geneva, and coordination of regional groups at the World Intellectual Property Organization makes its usual yearly shift for 2017. The copyright industry also saw major changes, and law offices have been busy hiring new partners.
The United States Trade Representative’s office today released its annual “notorious markets” for intellectual property-infringing goods, with a list of 21 online and 12 physical markets worldwide. Many of the online sites are based across Europe, including several in Switzerland, but also in Russia and China as in the past. A big feature is China's Taobao, and new methods like stream ripping.
Few were surprised when, earlier this month, the US Supreme Court agreed to hear the appeal in Impression Products, Inc. v. Lexmark International. The case presents two important patent law issues, and the lower court’s ruling on these issues conflicts with Supreme Court precedents, according to many experts.
A major shift is underway in Washington that is expected to have ramifications for global trade, innovation, and intellectual property enforcement, as Donald Trump steps into the United States presidency. IP-Watch caught up with Rob Atkinson, president of the Information Technology & Innovation Foundation to get his view on what's to come. Among the predictions: the Washington Consensus on trade gets turned on its head, enforcement will rise including at multilateral level, the US will have many new ideas but iPhones will not be made in the US, and a much-needed "reset" of the US policy on China will bring greater mutual respect - if done right.
Blockchain platforms could help solve some copyright ownership issues for content sharing. But whether the technology lives up to its promise remains to be seen.
BANGKOK – Countries in Southeast Asia have launched a 10-year action plan to strengthen their intellectual property rights cooperation, with the European Union and the World Intellectual Property Organization providing financial and technical assistance in helping the countries to achieve their goals.
After a day spent in informal meetings to try to agree on what should be the future work of the World Intellectual Property Organization patent law committee, delegates had to admit defeat. The main point of contention, according to sources, was the request by developing countries that the committee work on the issue of patents and access to medicines, and address the recommendations of the United Nations Secretary-General’s High Level Panel on Access to Medicines. This request was met by blunt refusal by some developed countries as beyond the realm of the work of the committee.
The European Union and Canada held an informal meeting in Geneva this week to present a project for a multilateral investment court to handle global investor-state disputes, hoping to draw interest and questions by other country delegates, according to sources. Time will be needed to gain acceptance of the idea, they said, and the next opportunity will be at the January World Economic Forum in Davos.
The World Intellectual Property Organization patent law committee this week became the latest venue for the global debate over the system to provide incentives to the pharmaceutical industry to find new medicines while ensuring all patients have access to those medicines. Most developing countries want the committee to discuss the recommendations of the United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines, while most developed countries disagree. The tone is rising, and the issue could come as a hurdle as countries decide the future work of the committee.
The European Commission and the Canadian government today and tomorrow are hosting a first meeting for talks on a new multilateral investment court. Such a court could, the European Commission explained in an announcement, become the follow-up mechanism for the existing investor-state dispute settlement (ISDS) provisions that are part of 3,200 bilateral and multilateral free trade agreements around the world.
The World Intellectual Property Organization patent law committee is a unique international forum where discussions about the patent system are held. The committee meeting this week is a display of different views of developed and developing countries on how the patent system is expected to meet their needs.