Original news and analysis on international IP policy
The year 2016 promises to be rich in debates on plant patenting, protection of genetic resources and traditional knowledge, and biopharmaceuticals. Here are some key issues and dates to watch for.
Sheer intellectual property filings may not be the only or even best measure of innovation, but they are a closely watched economic indicator. Using what data it has, the World Intellectual Property Organization recently touted China's continued massive growth in this area, particularly in patent applications.
World Health Organization Director-General Margaret Chan submitted a report to last week’s Executive Board meeting detailing progress made in establishing a framework for the implementation of a global action plan for prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs – like obesity, cancer, diabetes). The global action plan is to be officially implemented after the United Nations General Assembly comprehensive review of the prevention and control of NCDs in 2018, designed to eventually reduce premature mortality from NCDs by a third in 2030 in accordance with the health-related Sustainable Development Goals.
World Health Organization members last week agreed to meet for a final session in April to discuss the framework regulating the engagement of the organisation with “non-state actors,” such as non-governmental and philanthropy organisations, and the private sector.
The World Health Organization Executive Board this week noted a number of reports on communicable diseases, such as poliomyelitis, and vaccines. Developing countries underlined the affordability and accessibility of treatments. The board also agreed on the setting up of an open-ended intergovernmental meeting to come to agreement on the organisation’s governance reform.
The United States Copyright Act should be amended in a “very careful” way to change the way statutory damages are awarded to successful copyright owners against infringing individuals and online services, Shira Perlmutter, US Patent and Trademark Office chief policy officer and international affairs director, said today. She and John Morris, National Telecommunications and Information Administration associate administrator and internet policy director, unveiled a white paper by the Department of Commerce Internet Policy Task Force (IPTF) which, while proposing legislative changes to the damages provisions, also said no amendments are needed to the measure's remix and “first sale” clauses.
A new study released this week in Geneva provides insights into public-private partnerships (PPPs) with a special focus on China and India, while a panel of health experts discussing the report highlighted the importance of such partnerships.
The implementation of a protocol ensuring access to genetic resources and the fair and equitable benefit-sharing of commercial benefits might affect the sharing of pathogens samples between countries, said the United Kingdom and the Netherlands, who asked the World Health Organization to study possible implications of the protocol’s implementation.
The United Kingdom has a vibrant creative sector but many businesses don't take full advantage of their intellectual property, IP Minister Baroness (Lucy) Neville-Rolfe said in her introduction to an Intellectual Property Office five-year strategy report released today. IPO research shows that over 90 percent of firms haven't valued their IP, and small to mid-sized companies often don't understand or know how to protect it, she said. Even a modest boost in those figures could have a significant impact on the UK economy, she said.
Next week, the World Health Organization Executive Board will hold its biannual meeting. On the agenda are key subjects such as the WHO reform process, sharing of influenza viruses for R&D, and a controversial framework for the WHO’s engagement with actors such as non-governmental organisations, private entities, and foundations. Also on the agenda is the effort to address the growing microbial resistance to antibiotics, and finding a way to finance research and development for diseases affecting primarily developing countries.