Category Human Rights

TRIPS Council Serves As Ground For Discussion Of Compulsory Licensing

The escalating prices of medicines has become a growing global concern. Among many issues, intellectual property has been pointed to as providing monopolies that allow for unaffordable prices, in particular in developing countries. Though there is consensus among countries that IP is but one of the issues, the extent of the IP influence is not agreed. The use of compulsory licences as a way for developing countries to grant access to medicines to their populations was discussed during the World Trade Organization committee on intellectual property last week, with divergent opinions.

300 NGOs Demand No New E-Commerce Agenda At WTO Ministerial

Some 300 global nongovernmental organisations have signed a letter voicing concerns about the agenda of the upcoming World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference in December. In particular, they target the alleged push by some countries for a new agenda on digital trade, which they describe as “wrong.”

WIPO Faces Resistance To Ensuring Equal Treatment For LGBT Staff

The World Intellectual Property Organization is an international organisation based in Geneva, focused mainly on technical and legal issues of patents, trademarks and the like. But it is also a specialised agency of the United Nations, with over 1,000 employees. At its annual General Assemblies this week, an issue has arisen at WIPO that serves as a reminder of the complexities of UN membership.

Mechanism To Assess Trade Agreements Needed, UN Forum On Access To Medicines Hears

A mechanism to systematically assess trade agreements from a public health perspective, including accession agreements of the World Trade Organization and European Patent Office’s validation agreements is needed, says Ellen ´t Hoen, senior researcher at the Global Health Unit of the University Medical Centre, Groningen, The Netherlands. who publishes the Medicines Law and Policy website.

WIPO Upgrades Its Whistleblower Policy

The United Nations World Intellectual Property Organization has upgraded its whistleblower policy, coming more into line with best practices for protecting employees from retaliation for reporting alleged misconduct in the organisation. Time will tell if the changes to the policy will prove effective.

Medicines Law & Policy Expert Wins Prescrire Prize For ‘Major Reference Work’ On Access To Medicines

PARIS -- La Revue Prescrire, a French journal for healthcare professionals, has chosen “Private Patents and Public Health” — a 2016 book written by Ellen ’t Hoen — as one of four winners of its 2017 Prescrire Prize Book Award. Calling it “a major reference work on access to medicines and the patent system,” Prescrire praised ’t Hoen’s book both for its extensive collection of data and examples as well as its readability. (Medicines Law & Policy contributor, Kaitlin Mara was the editor of the book).

E-Commerce Regulation Needs Harmonisation, Labour Rules Should Be Part Of Trade Laws, Panellists Say

As electronic commerce is on the rise, attempts to regulate it are fragmented and in need of harmonisation, according to a panel at the recent World Trade Organization Public Forum. Intellectual property could be a harmonisation tool and is a market maker, one of the panellists said. Separately, a session looked at the relationship that they said should exist between trade and labour rights, and said the way goods are produced should be taken into account in WTO rules.

Human Rights Go Hand In Hand With IP In Making Health Systems Work, UN Forum Hears

Innovation is vital for the development of medicines, but innovation without proper access to them is pointless, Roberto Azevêdo, Director-General of World Trade Organization has said. Several other agency heads spoke at the same event, where World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus stressed the importance of universal health coverage.