Kenya Opens Region’s Door To GM Maize
In the face of a severe food shortage, Kenya's Cabinet has approved imports of genetically modified maize, though it has drawn the line on use of GM maize as seeds, a regional newspaper reports.
Intellectual Property Watch
Original news and analysis on international IP policy
Category Environment
Interview With Chief Judge Paul R. Michel On US Patent Reform
Chief Judge Paul R. Michel (Ret.), of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, saw hundreds of patent cases during his distinguished career and has a unique position from which to view and offer advice on efforts in the US Senate and House of Representatives to agree on changes to domestic patent law. Intellectual Property Watch recently had the opportunity to interview Judge Michel on prospects for substantive patent reform in the US, the effect on future cases involving domestic and foreign patents, likely constitutional challenges, and the "non-problem" of non-practicing entities.
WIPO, The ‘Sleeping Beauty’ Of Climate Change Policy, Urged To Awaken
The World Intellectual Property Organization has taken its first public steps in the climate change debate by holding a conference on the subject this week. The organisation’s expertise in intellectual property policy and technology transfer is being sought by several other actors in the field, in particular the United Nations climate change agency.
WIPO Ventures Into Global Debate On Climate Change
The World Intellectual Property Organization is continuing its push to become involved in some of the biggest policy questions of the day with an international conference on climate change next week. This follows recent efforts on public health and food security.
WIPO Seminar: IP Is Spearhead Of Agricultural Innovation, Solution To Food Shortage
The World Intellectual Property Organization recently stepped into the agriculture field with its first seminar on the use of intellectual property to increase productivity. In the seminar, proponents of IP rights defended the value of protection and the necessity of relying on technology to answer the needs of an inflated world population.
New FAO Chief Accepts GMOs, Not Seed Monopolies
The newly elected head of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization today expressed tolerance for genetically modified crops but not for monopolies on seeds.
US Patent Reform Advances Furthest In Congress In 10 Years
The US House of Representatives this evening passed HR 1249 – the closest action patent reform has come to being enacted into law in the past 10 years. But there were some changes made to the bill.
Merck Donates Natural Products Library For Research
Pharmaceutical manufacturer Merck will donate its entire library of natural products to the Institute for Hepatitis and Virus Research along with a grant, the institute announced this week. The library, one of the world's largest, will be open for researchers around the world.
Patent Licensing Experts Share Lessons Learned In Making Deals
NEW YORK - Experts at a recent conference on licensing revealed some of the behind the scenes thinking within industry on how to do great deals and keep from getting burned.
Indigenous Peoples Won’t Be “Wished Away” In Traditional Knowledge Treaty Talks
Colonial history says that indigenous peoples were in the past sometimes asked to sign treaties that may not have been in their best interest or that were not honoured. Now, under the aegis of the United Nations, some indigenous peoples fear it may be happening again, only this time they are fighting to be at the table as the subject is their traditional practices, and the outcome would apply on a global scale.