Original news and analysis on international IP policy
The World Intellectual Property Organisation committee seeking to devise a way to protect genetic resources and traditional knowledge from misappropriation is trying this week to refine potential treaty texts and to agree on a recommendation to the upcoming General Assembly. Developing countries are pushing for a final negotiation next year, while the United States proposed a work plan for 2015.
The World Intellectual Property Organization committee seeking to establish international instruments to protect genetic resources, traditional knowledge and folklore from misappropriation next week will attempt final clean-up of potential treaty texts ahead of the annual General Assembly in September.
A group of African civil society institutions is calling for a revision of the draft protocol on plant variety protection of the African Regional Intellectual Property Organisation.
The term of European Patent Office (EPO) President Benoît Battistelli has been extended for three years to 30 June 2018. The vote by the European Patent Organisation Administrative Council strongly backed Battistelli's quality and efficiency reforms, but sparked unhappiness from staff who see the president as a “dictator”.
An amendment to elevate the status of geographical indications at the World Intellectual Property Organization appears to be on track for a high-level final negotiation in 2015 after a meeting last week.
The chair of the World Intellectual Property Organization traditional knowledge and genetic resources committee has circulated a draft paper on common issues in the negotiations, in hopes of bringing parties closer together ahead of the next committee meeting in July.
In a country with over 35 million people, Uganda’s economy is based on agriculture. Over 80 percent of the country’s workforce is employed in the sector, contributing up to 23 percent of the country’s gross domestic product (GDP).
Governments must assert the human right to health and take action against the massive rise in obesity globally, brought about by the widespread availability and pervasive marketing of unhealthy “junk” foods, Anand Grover, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to health, urged today.
The Geneva-based Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) announced yesterday that the African Intellectual Property Organization (OAPI) became its seventy-second member.
LYON, France - At the Biovision life science forum looking into translating innovation into health-related solutions last week, a panel of speakers shared their experience about the global access to vaccines. Although vaccination coverage is on the rise and intellectual property has not been a major concern in the past decade for vaccines, patents may well become a barrier in the future, panellists said.
LYON, France - On the side of the annual Biovision conference on life sciences, a European vaccine manufacturers group presented its call for action for vaccines in Europe.
LYON, France - The opening plenary session of an annual industry forum on life sciences, focusing this year on immunotherapy and ageing, highlighted disruptive innovation as a way to address growing public health challenges. The concept, however, seems open to interpretation.