Category Biodiversity/Genetic Resources/Biotech

Nagoya Protocol Halfway To Required Number Of Accessions

According to the secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, five new ratifications have brought the 2010 treaty on the protection of genetic resources closer to ratification.

WHO Group To Discuss Plan For Industry Use Of Pandemic Flu Viruses

A closed-door working group under the World Health Organization will meet next week to continue working out details of a plan for companies to pay for the right to use influenza virus strains to potentially develop patented treatments.

Plurilateral Agreement On Geographical Indications On Its Way At WIPO

Last week, WIPO members that are parties to a special agreement on the protection of appellations of origin agreed to convene a diplomatic conference in 2015 to adopt a revision of the 1958 Lisbon Agreement. The revised treaty would extend to all geographical indications the protection already granted to appellations of origin. The decision to convene a diplomatic conference, however, stirred up controversy with a number of WIPO members that are not parties to the treaty.

WIPO Assembly Approves New Work Mandate On GR, TK Protection

The World Intellectual Property Organization General Assembly today renewed the mandate of its committee working on the protection of genetic resources, traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions. The full membership approved a deal reached in an informal session on 27 September, and statements made today showed that profound differences remain.

WIPO Members Reach Tentative Deal On TK Treaties; External Offices Mired

World Intellectual Property Organization members this evening reached a hard-won preliminary agreement on a path to a high-level negotiation of treaties or other instruments for the protection of traditional knowledge, traditional cultural expressions and genetic resources. The tentative deal, reached in informal meetings, creates an intensive work programme for the next year and a final decision in September 2014. The plan will have to go before the full WIPO membership in plenary as soon as Monday.

Urgent Need To Shift Away From Industrial Agriculture, Says UN Agency

A recent report by a United Nations agency calls for an urgent shift of paradigm in agricultural development.

Meeting Highlights Use Of Open Data In Science, Health And Sustainable Development

At the end of a two-day conference in Switzerland, open knowledge experts emphasised the role of open data in strengthening science findings’ credibility, fostering medical research and enhancing sustainable development.

WIPO Forum Presents Four “Game-Changers” In Innovation

The World Intellectual Property Organization later this month will hold a forum on innovation featuring four "world-renowned pioneers from the fields of medicine, architecture and industrial design," as a way to bring common insights to intellectual property policymakers and stakeholders working to achieve a "balanced, inclusive" IP system.

Interviews: What Protection Of Traditional Knowledge Means To Indigenous Peoples

World Intellectual Property Organization member states in July concluded the biennium work of the committee tasked with finding agreement on international legal tools to prevent misappropriation and misuse of genetic resources, traditional knowledge and folklore. Indigenous peoples and local communities are holders of a substantial part of this knowledge and are demanding that it be protected against misappropriation but also against its use without their consent. Intellectual Property Watch recently conducted two interviews on the issue with different indigenous groups.