Original news and analysis on international IP policy
In time for the start of the third round of trade negotiations between the United States and European Union, EU transparency organisation Corporate Europe Observatory (CEO) published the first interesting leak on the substance of the talks.
The intellectual property offices of Korea and China today announced they have signed a cooperation agreement on work-sharing, communication, and new areas of IP, including the commercial use of IP rights such as transactions involving patents.
The Congress of Argentina recently passed a landmark law making publicly funded science and technology research publications free and open access.
As of today, the Brazilian Patent Office has a new president: Otávio Brandelli, according to an official announcement. Also today, the nation's new amendment on collective management went into effect.
It took World Intellectual Property Organization members long hours in informal consultations over the past two days and far into last night to try solving two outstanding issues in the extraordinary session of the organisation’s General Assembly. Yet another extraordinary session is on the way in May to try to agree on the convening of a diplomatic conference – a high level treaty negotiation - on industrial designs later in 2014.
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA – A conference here on intellectual property, innovation and the public interest included a look at different possible futures for Africa, global IP tax evasion schemes, a discussion of the strong informal sector, and some views on the relative weakness of patent quality on the continent.
Following the public outcry over the EU’s demands for stringent intellectual property rules that would dramatically raise medicines prices in India, you would expect the EU to think twice about making similar demands in future trade agreements, particularly with low- and middle-income countries. Yet, this is precisely what is going on now in the negotiations for a free trade agreement between the EU and Thailand, writes Tessel Mellema.
The Medicines Patent Pool today announced a new agreement with biopharmaceutical company Bristol-Myers Squibb for an HIV medicine, which is expected to increase access in 110 developing countries.
After adopting the 2014-2015 program and budget yesterday, World Intellectual Property Organization member countries yesterday agreed on some pending issues but so far have not got agreement on principles for future WIPO offices worldwide nor a commitment to finish a treaty on the international registration of industrial designs.
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA – Academics, advocates, lawyers, government officials and others meeting this week have heard of the launch of several new books and research tools to better understand the relationship of intellectual property, development and social issues. In particular, discussion in the early part of the conference focussed on a book revealing evidence from extensive primary research on the ground in 13 countries across the continent.
United States Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker today announced Michelle K. Lee as the next deputy director of the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), starting in January. In the absence of a director at USPTO, she will also serve as acting director.
In the nick of time, the World Intellectual Property Organization has agreed on a budget for the new biennium - which starts in three weeks.