Original news and analysis on international IP policy
Country delegates at the World Intellectual Property Organization this week have started ploughing through the extensive agenda of the committee overseeing the budget and the programmes of the organisation. They are struggling to find agreement on agenda items and are deferring decisions for later in the week. Meanwhile, the WIPO director general presented the proposed budget and reaffirmed the importance of development.
The National Industrial Property Office of the Dominican Republic (ONAPI) is working on a database that would make information about patent applications filed in the country readily available. Currently, obtaining such information can be costly and complicated.
A new paper by an Australian academic assesses the "graduated response" programmes set up in recent years to enforce copyrights online through escalating penalties for repeat offences, finding little benefit from the programmes.
The World Health Organization, the United Nations health agency in persistent financial straits, has announced it must begin charging a fee to manufacturers seeking prequalification of their vaccines and diagnostics. The announcement stirred concern among public health advocates that it might have a negative effect for procurement and access to life-saving medicines.
World Intellectual Property Organization member states are expected to take a set of decisions this week on the future budget of the organisation, and have to bridge a number of differences on programmes before the General Assembly taking place later this month.
For new World Trade Organization Director General Roberto Azevêdo, it is time the WTO reclaims its role in the multilateral trading system. In his opening address to member states today, he called for compromises and a joint effort to restore trust in the system and to reach a successful outcome at the December WTO Ministerial Conference in Bali, Indonesia.
The civil society collective formed to pressure the South African government to reform its patent act has cautiously welcomed the release of the country’s draft intellectual property policy.
The US District Court for the Southern District of New York today issued an order regarding a remedy to address Apple Inc.'s pricing of e-books, requiring the company to change its agreements with publishers with which it was found to have fixed prices.
The Korean Intellectual Property Office today announced it will undergo the largest structural reorganisation in its history beginning next week. The aim of the restructuring is to provide better patent examination services, IP protection and usage, KIPO said.
Microsoft has claimed victory in its high-profile trial asserting that phone maker Motorola failed to licence its standard-essential patents under internationally recognised fair and reasonable terms. And the hand-marked jury card from the outcome in federal court in Seattle, Washington shows the unanimous decision.
The White House recently announced the nomination of Pamela Hamamoto, a childhood friend and major fundraiser of President Obama's, to be the next ambassador to the United Nations in Geneva, including agencies like the World Intellectual Property Organization, World Health Organization and International Telecommunication Union.
The Geneva-based Council on Health Research for Development (COHRED) recently published a "guidance resource for the negotiation of fair research contracts in collaborative research partnerships." The guide includes several basic considerations on intellectual property rights for contract negotiators.