Original news and analysis on international IP policy
Contributions of participants at a recent e-conference organised by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) on new genetically modified organisms show that a considerable number of new GMOs are likely to be released in developing countries in the next five years.
Plant variety protection has raised concerns in Africa and in Latin America, and further developments are expected in 2013.
Next week, World Intellectual Property Organization delegates will convene for the first committee meeting of 2013. First up is the protection of genetic resources from misappropriation, and the goal of the week is to bridge gaps so they can construct a text that could become an international instrument on protection.
An essential relationship exists among the conservation, development and use of genetic resources, sustainable agriculture and food security. There is an equally essential relationship between the conservation, development and use of genetic resources and small scale-farmers. The strength and effectiveness of any treaty addressing IP and genetic resources depends on the meaningful participation of small-scale farmers, and those that can represent them, as in the treaty deliberations continuing next week at WIPO, write Susan Bragdon and Lynn Finnegan.
Copies made by end-users for private purposes in the context of a service previously licensed by copyright holders don't cause harm that should be subject to private copying levies on reproduction devices such as MP3 players, blank DVDs and photocopiers, a European Commission-appointed mediator said in recommendations published on 31 January. António Vitorino suggested major changes to Europe's copy levy system to align it with the digital world, but said at a press briefing that “there is still some way to go” to bring stakeholder positions together.
Intellectual property professionals speaking at the University of Geneva last week discussed the challenges faced by companies and legislators in the domain of trade secrets. Topics addressed included the impact globalisation has on the protection of trade secrets, the need for an harmonised regime at the European level, and the need to rethink the place of trade secrets in the current international IP regime.
The European Commission has proposed a comprehensive reform of the EU’s 1995 data protection rules to strengthen online privacy rights and boost Europe’s digital economy.
A video interview on EU data protection reform with Jan Philipp Albrecht, the European Parliament rapporteur on the General Data Protection Regulation, posted by EU policy broadcaster viEUws, is available here.
Prof. Ryan Abbott analyzes the key components of the WHO proposal for a Global R&D Treaty and their potential impact on public health. The article proposes strategies to convert parties currently opposing the treaty, and argues that a stratified limited market-exclusivity regime has the capacity for a meaningful impact.
After years of unsuccessful negotiations between nations, the World Trade Organization Dispute Settlement Body today gave Antigua and Barbuda the right to impose sanctions against the United States for blocking online gambling. The US was found in violation of WTO rules in 2007 and has failed to resolve the issue, so the Caribbean nation was given the right to retaliate in an area that is likely to force a US response - lifting US intellectual property rights.
The World Health Organization has not completed negotiations with companies on a formula for contribute toward the new WHO framework for pandemic influenza. But companies are paying to access the virus anyway. In its meeting this week, the WHO Executive Board has addressed a range of issues such as pandemic influenza, but so far it has delayed discussion on another contentious topic: substandard/counterfeit medical products.
A US technology industry report released Friday presents data showing that the entertainment industry has grown by 50 percent in the past decade with increased consumer spending, despite continuous calls by industry for greater protection of their intellectual property rights due to economic difficulty.
Any employee who has been through a company reform knows that it can be an anxious and stressful period. The experience is no different for the 194 members of the World Health Organization representing their respective countries and the public health interests of their constituents. As the WHO Executive Board digs deep into the fundamental principles of organisational change, preserving the holy member-driven nature of the global public health authority has emerged as the most pressing priority.