Category Human Rights

US-Peru Trade Deal The First Test Of Renegotiated IP Provisions

By Martin Vaughan for Intellectual Property Watch The United States House of Representatives is poised to pass the US-Peru free trade agreement this week, in the first test of the new “bipartisan trade policy” that led to the renegotiation of…

Thailand: Latest Talks With Patent Owners of Cancer Drugs Show Positive Results

By Sinfah Tunsarawuth for Intellectual Property Watch BANGKOK – Thai government officials said the latest round of negotiations with patent owners of cancer treatment drugs showed positive results with drug companies agreeing to make their supplies more available to certain…

WIPO Committees Casting About For Future Work

By William New The World Intellectual Property Organization enforcement committee last week heard from a series of intellectual property rights enforcers and others before attempting unsuccessfully to agree on the future work and moving to consultations till February. Meanwhile, separate…

Thailand: 20 More Drugs In Pipeline For Possible Compulsory Licences

By Sinfah Tunsarawuth for Intellectual Property Watch BANGKOK – Thailand has in its pipeline about 20 more items of various patented drugs that could be candidates for compulsory licences, allowing the government to exercise its right over the patent owners…

Internet Governance Forum To Return To Critical Internet Resources Issue

By Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch The upcoming second Internet Governance Forum in Rio de Janeiro will have a very broad agenda with over thirty workshops, 22 best practice forums and 10 meetings of dynamic coalitions specialising in key…

IP Community Critical Of Proposals On ICANN Agenda

By Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch Even the “father of the Internet” could not find a solution to the ongoing fight over the so-called Whois database, which allow checks on who has registered Internet domain names. When Vinton Cerf…

WTO Biodiversity Amendment Backed; EU Seeks ‘New Thinking’ On GIs

By William New A proposal to amend the World Trade Organization rules on intellectual property rights to require the disclosure of the origin of genetic resources in patent applications gained significant new support Wednesday when 50 least-developed countries signed on.…

Top Economies To Negotiate Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Pact

By Liza Porteus Viana for Intellectual Property Watch The United States, European Union and other key trading partners on Tuesday announced their intention to negotiate an Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) to encourage other countries to meet higher intellectual property rights…

TRIPS Council Extends Health Amendment; Targets Poor Nations’ Needs

By William New The World Trade Organization committee on intellectual property rights on Tuesday gave a two-year extension for countries to ratify a public health agreement easing countries’ ability to import cheap medicines. It also addressed needs assessments for least-developed…