Original news and analysis on international IP policy
Negotiators trying this week to advance talks for UN World Intellectual Property Organization treaties on traditional knowledge, genetic resources, and folklore have made progress on draft texts, but are facing sharp criticism from indigenous groups and some governments claiming their concerns are being ignored.
The protection of genetic resources from misappropriation, institutionalised in October 2010 by the Nagoya Protocol, is getting nearer to realisation as eight new countries ratified the protocol yesterday.
The international seed treaty has launched a capacity building campaign under the form of educational modules to help a range of stakeholders better understand the treaty and its implementation.
World Intellectual Property Organization delegates negotiating this week for a possible agreement on protection of traditional knowledge have advanced the text from which they are working, according to a copy obtained by Intellectual Property Watch. Meanwhile, the brand-name pharmaceutical industry sought to explain an alleged biopiracy case at a side event at WIPO today.
Although indigenous peoples’ rights are recognised in a number of international declarations, the implementation of those rights is difficult to achieve, according to panellists at an event opening this week’s World Intellectual Property Organization negotiations toward a treaty to protect traditional knowledge, folklore and genetic resources.
The United States recently changed one important aspect of enforcing patent rights. Patent owners who wish to use contempt proceedings to stop adjudged infringers from committing additional infringements must comply with the new standards laid down in TiVo Inc. v. EchoStar Corp. The decision, which brings US law closer to that of European countries, makes it easier for patentees to bring contempt actions, but may sometimes make it harder to win these actions.
Building on recent momentum that has produced negotiating texts towards an international instrument to protect folklore, traditional knowledge and genetic resources, delegates to the World Intellectual Property Organization next week will try to clean the texts that still bear signs of division.
NEW YORK – The United States Patent and Trademark Office is operating at a “higher level” these days, trying to look beyond patent numbers to patent quality and value, USPTO Director David Kappos told a group of licensing executives yesterday.
Intellectual Property Watch readers have been offered a $200 savings on attendance at next week's spring meeting of the Licensing Executives Society in New York, focused on life sciences. This year's LES Spring Meeting will feature key topics facing IP, licensing and business development professionals in the life sciences industry including: Structuring Term Sheets, Option Agreements, Co-Development and Co-Promotion Deals, Profit Sharing vs. Revenue Sharing, Commercialization, Clean-Tech, Deal Negotiations, Bio-Fuels, Patent Litigation, Biosimilars, Cloud Computing, Antitrust Dos and Don'ts in Licensing and more. US Patent and Trademark Office Director David Kappos will keynote on improving the quality of healthcare, pharmaceutical and life science patents.
The meeting will take place from 4-6 May, at the Westin New York at Times Square. Read the full story for the program and promotional code.
Non-communicable diseases such as cancer and diabetes now have a global reach, and are the leading cause of death, according to the World Health Organization, which describes them as an “epidemic.” Once considered problems of rich countries, they now hit low- and middle-income populations the worst, says WHO, but preventive actions could be taken. Meanwhile, civil society is warning about the lack of availability of non-communicable diseases medications in developing countries.