Original news and analysis on international IP policy
The World Intellectual Property Organization Internal Audit and Oversight Division is seeking expressions of interest from consultants to conduct an evaluation and analysis of Kenya’s performance with intellectual property rights during the years 2005 to 2010. The study aims to help WIPO members to assess the effect of the UN agency’s work in the country during that time, and to boost learning and accountability.
A call for proposals was launched today by the World Health Organization expert group in charge of making recommendations on ways to encourage and finance research and development for diseases that mostly affect developing countries.
Intellectual Property Watch readers have been offered a $200 savings on attendance at next week's spring meeting of the Licensing Executives Society in New York, focused on life sciences. This year's LES Spring Meeting will feature key topics facing IP, licensing and business development professionals in the life sciences industry including: Structuring Term Sheets, Option Agreements, Co-Development and Co-Promotion Deals, Profit Sharing vs. Revenue Sharing, Commercialization, Clean-Tech, Deal Negotiations, Bio-Fuels, Patent Litigation, Biosimilars, Cloud Computing, Antitrust Dos and Don'ts in Licensing and more. US Patent and Trademark Office Director David Kappos will keynote on improving the quality of healthcare, pharmaceutical and life science patents.
The meeting will take place from 4-6 May, at the Westin New York at Times Square. Read the full story for the program and promotional code.
Intellectual property has often been considered by developing countries as a hindrance to development rather than a driving force. Next week, delegates to the World Intellectual Property Organization will discuss the implementation of the organisation’s commitment to take development considerations more substantially into its work. In particular, delegates are expected to try to agree on the coordination mechanism of the committee responsible for the effort.
The World Health Organization has launched today in Moscow its first Global Status Report on Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs).
The United States mission in Geneva announced today a new international initiative to raise public awareness about protection of intellectual property rights. The initiative is a cooperation with the World Intellectual Property Organization and has support from the governments of Kenya, Morocco and the Philippines, US Ambassador Betty King said at a reception.
Non-communicable diseases such as cancer and diabetes now have a global reach, and are the leading cause of death, according to the World Health Organization, which describes them as an “epidemic.” Once considered problems of rich countries, they now hit low- and middle-income populations the worst, says WHO, but preventive actions could be taken. Meanwhile, civil society is warning about the lack of availability of non-communicable diseases medications in developing countries.
A new ruling from Texas against Google found patent infringement in some of its use of open-source Linux code, a decision that could affect the use of Linux and other open source systems that build upon it, according to a news source.
Mandated efforts to create an international register of geographical indications have risen in importance at the World Trade Organization in recent weeks. And as the pressure to produce negotiating texts for the Doha Round discussions climaxed this week, some dissonant notes were heard in the main negotiating group of countries on GIs.
Two civil society groups said the recent World Health Organization agreement on influenza pandemic strategy is an improvement on the present situation but has key shortcomings.
Niels Louwaars of the Centre for Genetic Resources, Wageningen University, The Netherlands, discusses the importance of plant breeder’s rights. He makes the case for a carefully balanced protection for plant breeders and changes to patents in agriculture, in order to ensure a competitive, diversified supply of plant varieties and seeds.
With new European Union rules on telecommunications set to take effect next month, the European Commission today adopted a report which it said further commits it to principles of openness and neutrality on the internet.