Original news and analysis on international IP policy
In the context of a parallel event to the World Intellectual Property Organization annual General Assemblies, innovators from developed and developing countries shared their thoughts on how to foster a creative environment that encourages ground-breaking innovations.
Patent assertion entities in the United States have done well from software patents. These companies, which some call “patent trolls,” have garnered a clear majority of their revenues by licensing software patents and suing those who refuse to purchase licences. But these companies’ reliance on software patents may be coming to an end. In recent years, these companies are increasingly exploiting business method patents, and by doing so are targeting a much larger range of businesses, according to a recently released study.
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.
In-depth discussions and revisions of programmes did not speed up the decision-taking of World Intellectual Property Organization delegates trying to approve the programmes and budget of the organisation this week. Heading into the final day, consensus was elusive on some items such as the establishment of external offices, or a reporting mechanism for the programme on intellectual property and global challenges.
The proposed establishment of new World Intellectual Property Organization external offices gave way to a lot of discussion today (11 September) in the WIPO committee overseeing programmes and budget. Other targets of debate: small and medium-sized enterprises, accountability for the WIPO Global Issues Division, implementation of the Marrakesh Treaty on copyright exceptions for the blind, and potential treaty negotiations in the next biennium - all with no decisions yet.
Country delegates at the World Intellectual Property Organization this week have started ploughing through the extensive agenda of the committee overseeing the budget and the programmes of the organisation. They are struggling to find agreement on agenda items and are deferring decisions for later in the week. Meanwhile, the WIPO director general presented the proposed budget and reaffirmed the importance of development.
The World Health Organization, the United Nations health agency in persistent financial straits, has announced it must begin charging a fee to manufacturers seeking prequalification of their vaccines and diagnostics. The announcement stirred concern among public health advocates that it might have a negative effect for procurement and access to life-saving medicines.
For new World Trade Organization Director General Roberto Azevêdo, it is time the WTO reclaims its role in the multilateral trading system. In his opening address to member states today, he called for compromises and a joint effort to restore trust in the system and to reach a successful outcome at the December WTO Ministerial Conference in Bali, Indonesia.
The US District Court for the Southern District of New York today issued an order regarding a remedy to address Apple Inc.'s pricing of e-books, requiring the company to change its agreements with publishers with which it was found to have fixed prices.
The White House recently announced the nomination of Pamela Hamamoto, a childhood friend and major fundraiser of President Obama's, to be the next ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, including agencies like the World Intellectual Property Organization, World Health Organization and International Telecommunication Union.
They may be fading from consumers' minds, but former telecommunications giants such as Nokia hold huge swaths of core technology patents, a new report shows. The companies are positioned to shift roles from manufacturers to so-called patent trolls, or patent assertion entities. Nokia this week announced a large, non-exclusive licensing deal with Microsoft.
A European intellectual property information agency recently released a paper explaining a number of tools commonly used in the market to value IP assets.