Original news and analysis on international IP policy
The World Health Organization secretariat has released its report to the executive board meeting on pandemic influenza preparedness. A framework for handling outbreaks of potentially pandemic influenza was approved in May this year, but outstanding – and critical - elements of the framework remained unfinished.
Implementation of a United Nations-related patent pool initiative that independent reviewers say could save millions of lives (and dollars) is set to be approved next week by the initiative’s board, though some observers fear resistance from strong patent beneficiaries, such as the foundation run by Microsoft founder Bill Gates. A confidential report on the initiative prepared for board approval is expected to show multiple benefits to implementation of the pool, but also some concerns, according to informed sources.
COPENHAGEN - A new draft climate change text on development and transfer of technology, obtained by Intellectual Property Watch and available to subscribers, was issued and under discussion at COP15 this afternoon.
Le groupe d’experts sur les financements innovants pour la recherche et le développement, réuni sous les auspices de l'Organisation mondiale de la Santé (OMS), a tenu sa troisième et dernière réunion du 30 novembre au 2 décembre. Le rapport de ce comité très secret devrait être communiqué aux Etats membres dans les semaines qui viennent, selon certaines sources.
Confidential documents related to the World Health Organization Expert Working Group on innovative financing for research and development surfaced today, revealing the group’s thinking as well as pharmaceutical industry thinking about the WHO process. The documents immediately raised concern about possible undue access to the process by industry, but the WHO told Intellectual Property Watch the industry group was not supposed to have them.
COPENHAGEN - While intellectual property rights has been ‘the elephant in the room’ in the climate change negotiations so far, officials predict that it could become the subject of heated negotiations - even at a higher political level - during the ongoing high-level meeting in Copenhagen. On the third day of the meeting, IP issues had already appeared in a proposed negotiation text.
Daniele Dionisio argues some perspectives on health and IP might change now that controversial practices at the WTO, World Bank and IMF are increasingly under pressure, and that new government policy choices and actors on the world chessboard are emerging.
An expert working group on innovative financing for research and development, meeting under the auspices of the World Health Organization, held its third and final meeting last week, with a report from the secretive group expected to be released to member states in the coming weeks, according to sources.
The future of the multilateral trading system looks bleak although global trade is in good shape overall, and developing countries are becoming heavier trading partners as a new geopolitical landscape is emerging, according to panellists in a concurrent event to this week’s World Trade Organization ministerial meeting.
The World Trade Organization today wrapped up its first ministerial meeting in four years with no decisions or breakthroughs (as expected) but an informal agreement to consider by March whether members can complete the longstanding round of negotiations in 2010. Meanwhile, intellectual property issues played a tangential role in ministers’ discussions, but made several notable appearances.
Technology transfer is essential to the mitigation of climate change but empirical data on the subject is scarce, according to panellists at a parallel event to the World Trade Organization ministerial meeting. An initiative has been launched by the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) to identify potential barriers to the transfer of clean technologies. Preliminary outcomes of the project were presented yesterday. One of those outcomes is a new classification scheme.
World Trade Organization members today called for a completion of the Doha Development Round of trade liberalisation talks in 2010, tying its success to the relevance of the organisation as a whole, at the opening plenary session of this week’s WTO ministerial. Members also urged a stronger review mechanism, and the head of the World Intellectual Property Organization questioned the effectiveness of the multilateral system.