Original news and analysis on international IP policy
Slow and uneven economic growth was the main concern echoed by panellists participating in this morning’s high-level policy dialogue at the 2013 United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Substantive Session. Representatives from various intergovernmental agencies shared their perspectives on the status of the global economy with respect to innovation and the 2015 Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The price of first- and second-line anti-retrovirals (ARVs) have declined due to increased generic competition, while third-line regimens remain “exorbitantly priced,” according to the latest edition of a publication from Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF).
Innovation is a main focus of the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) substantive session taking place in Geneva this week. Today, at the ECOSOC opening session, the 2013 Global Innovation Index (GII) was launched, which ranked Switzerland, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the United States as the top five most innovative countries in the world.
Governments can impose copyright levies on sales of printers and computers, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) said in a 27 June ruling.
The World Health Organization is undergoing major reform including working to stabilise its fiscal future, and members are trying to set out careful terms for working with and receiving support from entities referred to as non-state actors, such as private foundations and organisations.
Central American, Caribbean, and African economies have the most “inventor brain drain” in relation to the number of home country inventors, according to a recent working paper released by the World Intellectual Property Organization. Data for the study included information on inventor nationality and residence available in Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) applications.
Hong Kong – A recent conference here looked at the evolving biotechnology landscape in the Asia-Pacific region as well as prospects for networking and raising capital for early stage life science innovation.
The latest instalment of the World Intellectual Property Organization seminar series titled “The Economics of Intellectual Property” covered the issue of product patents in the pharmaceutical industry. Discussion focussed on the economics of intellectual property rights and how pharmaceutical patent protection might not be the sole culprit in the access to innovation problem.
During a recent meeting of the World Intellectual Property Organization Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP), a study on innovation in the informal economy was presented by the organisation's secretariat. The exercise was conducted in an effort to better understand how innovation occurs and how intellectual property is relevant in that context.
The Intellectual Property Exchange International Inc. (IPXI), the world’s first financial exchange that facilitates non-exclusive licensing and trading of IP rights, will start offering a licence contract in June.
Daniela Bagozzi writes: Ten years of efforts in treatment for priority diseases has yielded impressive results both in terms of lives and dollars saved. To maintain progress in a volatile and financially tight environment countries and the international community will need to increase pressure on quality and healthy generic competition.
Members of the World Intellectual Property Organization Patent Cooperation Treaty (PCT) met this week to discuss possible amendments to the regulations under the treaty. Among issues discussed were possible fee reductions, the proposed formal integration of the Patent Prosecution Highway into the treaty, and the coordination of technical assistance under the treaty.