Category Human Rights

WTO, WHO, WIPO To Discuss TRIPS And Health Declaration

The heads of three international organizations in Geneva will address a meeting next week on the subject of 10 years after the Doha Declaration on TRIPS and Public Health. The 23 November symposium at the Graduate Institute in Geneva involves a range of top officials and experts on the issue.

In Egypt, Director Of Famed Library Of Alexandria Under Fire

The director of the legendary Library of Alexandria, lauded in Europe in recent weeks, has come under attack from the majority of his library staff and others demanding his departure over questions of unprofessional employee practices, alleged retaliation against workers for speaking freely, and for his affiliation with the outcast Mubarak regime.

UNESCO Approves Palestinian Membership; US Faces Decision

Members of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) today approved Palestine as a member state, a move expected to force the United States to choose between withdrawal from UN agencies including the World Intellectual Property Organization, or removing a national law preventing the US from funding and participating in any organization with Palestine as a member.

Revised EPO Patent For Conventional Broccoli Has Public Interest Ramifications

A patent for a conventionally bred form of the common household vegetable broccoli appears to be on its way to acceptance by the European Patent Office following a change to the patent by the company filing it, according to sources. The decision not to revoke the patent, which has been the subject of protests and now calls for action in national courts, could clear the way for hundreds of other vegetable patents to follow, a source said.

WIPO To Launch New Drug R&D Database For Neglected Disease Licences

The World Intellectual Property Organization, in conjunction with the World Health Organization, private sector and foundation partners, is preparing to launch a new voluntary database for the sharing of intellectual property for research and development on medicines, vaccines and diagnostics for neglected diseases, according to sources in Geneva.

EU High Court Bans Patents On Human Embryo Stem Cells For Commerce

The European Union high court today outlawed the patenting of human embryo stem cells for scientific research or commercial purposes. The decision has forced European courts to examine the “ethical boundaries of patenting,” said Greenpeace, which challenged a German patent in the case. While there are alternate methods for obtaining stem cells, the ruling will nevertheless affect some research, one patent lawyer said.

To Stem Infringement, Block Money – Not Information

The Protect IP Act, currently pending in the United States Senate, contains a range of steps designed to support the holders of American copyrights and trademarks by fighting a specific part of the online infringement problem: “rogue” websites whose primary or intended use is the infringement of US copyrights or trademarks. The bill would take promising new steps to diminish the financial rewards of IPR infringement - but it is saddled with ill-advised information blocking provisions that should, and probably will, be prevented from passing the Senate in its current form, writes David Robinson.