Category Environment

Biovision: Personalised Medicine, Climate Change, Sustainability Need Innovation

Lyon, France – Biovision, a biennial international event on life sciences, brought together some 3,000 participants this week to discuss and compare experiences in different fields, including personalised medicine, how best to use natural resources and the impact of climate change on food security. Open innovation was presented as a way forward, and the role of companies in mitigation was deemed important but with ethics.

UPOV 1991 Will Adversely Impact Farmers In Tanzania, Civil Society And Farmers Say

Tanzania is on the road to becoming a member of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV), but Tanzanian civil society and farmers' organisations have warned about possible detrimental effects on small-holder farmers and have asked government to halt the ratification process until all stakeholders have been consulted.

UN Agencies To Examine International Standards, Potential Value For Developing Countries

Five United Nations agencies are joining efforts to tackle the rising issue of private standards which they say are affecting developing countries' exports by creating market entry hurdles for those countries. A new forum will be launched this week, and will establish its priority issues.

On Plant Patents, EPO President Backs Industry, Disregards EU Parliament, Group Says

A civil society coalition fighting patents on conventional plants in Europe has published a briefing paper alleging that the European Patent Office is giving a "green light" to patents on plants and animals, disregarding the position of the European Parliament.

Report On Seed Giants’ Initiatives To Preserve Monopoly On Global Food

A report released yesterday by the non-profit ETC Group claims that six companies are seeking to control current priorities and the future direction of agricultural research. According to the report, giant seed companies are launching initiatives to preserve their IP rights and deflate antitrust concerns.

Monsanto v. Bowman: Stocktaking After Supreme Court Hearings

The United States Supreme Court recently heard oral arguments in the case opposing a US farmer to agro-industry giant Monsanto on the issue of patent exhaustion in patented seeds. Lead lawyers in the case and others offered comments on the heels of the hearing, while the Supreme Court Justices are considering the arguments and are expected to reach a decision sometime this spring.

Global Health Giants, Trade Deals, And IP Play Central Role In 2013 Public Health Policy

The role of intellectual property in a wide range of public health challenges - access to medicines, vaccine prices, procurement strategies, and research for diseases of the poor - is a focal point in 2013 cutting across national, regional, and international policymaking.

Report Finds Stronger Regulation Spurs Chemical Innovation

New research shows that more rigid laws regulating hazardous chemicals encourage innovation in both large and small companies, according to a report published by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL).

Monsanto, Myriad: Two US Legal Cases Shaking Biotech Industries

The biotechnology industry has growing concerns over decisions to be taken this year by the United States Supreme Court in two cases involving the patenting of human genes and the exhaustion of patent rights in the context of easily reproducible products. Several areas of biotechnology could be affected by unfavourable decisions, provoking legal uncertainty and discouraging innovation, industry representatives said in a recent telephone conference. In the meantime, civil society stands fast in opposition.

Event Explains Partnerships In Natural Products Research Through Thai Experience With Novartis

Alongside the World Intellectual Property Organization meeting on protection of genetic resources last week, the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA) organised a side event on natural product research.