Category Finance

Most-Read IP-Watch Posts Of 2011 Tell Story Of International IP Policymaking

The most-read Intellectual Property Watch stories of 2011 demonstrated the versatility and range of our readers from around the globe, from an intense focus on international and national copyright issues to bilateral and plurilateral free trade agreements, to issues in India and Brazil, patent laws, patents in agriculture, scientific knowledge, and of course, policies emerging in Geneva at the World Intellectual Property Organization, World Trade Organization, World Health Organization and elsewhere at the multilateral level. Most of all, they tell the story of the year gone by, with clear signals of what's to come in 2012.

WHO Expert Group To Recommend Binding R&D Treaty Negotiation

A World Health Organization expert group has narrowed proposals under consideration for ways to finance research and development for diseases predominately affecting poor populations. Among the remaining recommendations is that WHO members launch negotiations for a binding treaty.

IP, Trade And Public Health Leaders Turn A Page In History Together

The importance of multilateralism, continuing global public health gains with sufficient funding, and finding a balance between the worlds of trade, intellectual property and public health were among the top issues raised during the a daylong high-level meeting at the World Trade Organization.

WIPO: IP Policy Moves To Forefront Of Global Innovation

The World Intellectual Property Organization has released its first report in what is expected to be a series of publications seeking to explain, clarify and contribute to policy relating to intellectual property. Its debut report, WIPO presented figures that show a growing global demand for patents, a soaring increase in licensing and royalty fees revenues, and an increase in low and middle-income economies’ share of global spending on research and development.

WIPO Audit/Evaluation Process Comes Of Age, With A Development Side

Evaluation and auditing of the World Intellectual Property Organization gained increased interest a few years ago when rich member countries responsible for most of its revenues became alarmed about questions of financial and human resources management. But now the UN agency’s sometimes bumpy evaluation process is maturing, including a development aspect, and has a new external report on its global technical assistance programmes.

USPTO, Small Businesses Talk Patent Reform, Harmonisation, Fee Diversion

The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) is working to ensure small businesses and independent inventors have the tools they need to obtain, protect and enforce their patents overseas, as well as domestically, in the wake of patent reform legislation enacted in the United States. Meanwhile, the office is also stepping up global patent harmonisation efforts.

WIPO Re:Search Bridges Public, Private Sectors For Neglected Disease Research

“Neglected tropical diseases are century-old diseases and today we see new hope,” Margaret Chan, director general of the World Health Organisation, told a crowd at yesterday’s launch of a new public-private collaboration to develop medicines for the poorest countries. The project, called Re:Search, was launched at the World Intellectual Property Organization.

WIPO Re:Search Webpage Goes Live, Shows Sponsors

The webpage of the new Re:Search IP licensing database project at the World Intellectual Property Organization partnered with the BIO Ventures for Global Health foundation is now live, and shows a range of corporate, foundation and academic cosponsors lined up for tomorrow's launch.