Original news and analysis on international IP policy
Par Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen Un représentant thaïlandais a déclaré que son Gouvernement recevait nettement plus d’appels depuis qu’il a émis des licences obligatoires pour importer et, à terme, produire des médicaments brevetés, contraignant les titulaires des brevets à baisser…
By Martin Vaughan for Intellectual Property Watch WASHINGTON, DC – Critics of Thailand’s decision to issue compulsory licenses for several patented drugs said the Thai government violated global trade rules, as they clashed with public health activists at a 16…
Por Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen Un funcionario tailandés afirma que los teléfonos del Gobierno han comenzado a sonar con mayor frecuencia desde que Tailandia concedió licencias obligatorias para importar y, finalmente, fabricar medicamentos patentados, lo cual ha obligado a los…
By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen A Thai official says the government’s phones have started ringing a lot more frequently since Thailand issued compulsory licenses to import and eventually produce patented medicines, moving patent owners to drop their prices. But sceptics…
By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen The Indonesian government’s reluctance to share avian influenza virus samples to help develop a global vaccine for humans has revealed a weakness in the international flu research system related to developing countries’ concern with the…
By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen A new anti-malarial, non-patented drug available cheaply to the public sector is being hailed as proof that it is possible for the private and public sectors to overcome differences over patents and reach concrete results…
By William New An informative event this week pitted key proponents of opposite views on how to best protect the intellectual property rights of pharmaceutical companies while also addressing the needs of poor patients around the world unable to afford…
By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen and William New
Patents are bound to be another hot issue this year. But although many parties are pushing for changes in this area - from global patent harmonisation and proposals for better patent protection of biodiversity and traditional knowledge, to ways to control soaring patent filings, to national reform of patent laws - actual implementation of these changes may be harder to obtain.
By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen One of the companies whose patent may be overruled by Thailand’s issuance of a compulsory license said it was caught off-guard by the Thai move, which was aimed at reducing drug prices. The Thai government…
By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen As a case challenging India’s patent law proceeds this week, pressure is building from politicians, religious leaders and civil society on Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis to withdraw the case in the name of public health,…
By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen Members of a 13 February World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting on intellectual property rights, signalled that consultations on IP issues will be stepped up in the coming weeks as part of the overall revival in…
By Tove Iren S. Gerhardsen A recent top-level meeting of the World Health Organization discussed member states’ rights to address malaria using flexibilities in international trade and intellectual property law. But there was strong disagreement as to how far this…