Category Technical Cooperation/ Technology Transfer

WTO TRIPS Council Agenda: IP Key For New Businesses, Competition Law To Counter Abuses

World Trade Organization intellectual property committee members gather this week for their annual autumn session. On the agenda are now-usual topics looking at intellectual property from two perspectives: IP as an indispensable tool for innovation in particular in the new economy, and IP as a potential threat to access if misused. In addition, India has put forward further questions on goods in transit to the European Union in its directive on custom enforcement of IP rights.

New Report: Mitigating Patent Linkage To Promote Medicines Access In LMICs

A new report reviews how patent linkage mechanisms have been implemented in South Korea, Australia, Canada, and the United States, and identifies precedents for how low and middle-income countries (LMICs) can retain and exploit “constructive ambiguities” in trade treaty text to mitigate the impacts of patent linkage mechanisms and promote the timely availability of generic medicines.

G77+China Plan To Take UN TB Declaration Forward: Increased Resources, Access To Medicines

The Group of 77 developing countries plus China delivered a statement at the recent United Nations High-Level Meeting on Tuberculosis, calling for forward progress on the commitments to funding and action made in the UN political declaration on TB.

Research Group Identifies Over-Patenting Of Pharmaceuticals In India, Calls For Patent Reform

The tricontinental research group “accessibsa” has found that while the Indian Patent Office rejects 40 percent of pharmaceutical patent applications, it should be rejecting 90 percent of applications to comply with Indian patent law, according to the results of its recent study of Indian patent data.

World Health Summit Berlin: New Global Action Plan; Gates And Merkel To Open Global Challenges

BERLIN -- Ten years after establishing the Berlin World Health Summit, the M8 alliance of medical institutes around the globe sees some noticeable progress in political commitment to the health agenda. “Gifts” presented at the opening ceremony yesterday in the German capital include the announcement of German Health Minister Jens Spahn to establish a Hub for Global Health and step up its financial contributions to the World Health Organization (WHO) to 115 million euros over the next four years. The three-day summit also will receive a global action plan to catch up with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3 on health and well-being for all.

Trade Agreements Making Rules In New Technologies, Territoriality An Issue For IP In Digital Age

As new technologies have pervaded society, with more to come, policymaking has become a difficult exercise. Rules established before those game-changing technologies might be outdated. A session at the World Trade Organization Public Forum last week looked at how intellectual property rules are faring in the time of digital technologies. Speakers remarked on the role of regional trade agreements in norm-setting, and the growing issue of the territoriality of rights for copyright.

Conference Preview: Respect For IP – Growing From The Tip of Africa

The World Intellectual Property Organization is partnering with a range of other organisations and the government of South Africa to hold an international conference on "respect for intellectual property." The conference will take place from 23-25 October in Sandton, South Africa. Intellectual Property Watch conducted an interview with Louise Van Greunen, Director, Building Respect for IP Division, about the upcoming conference.

WIPO General Assemblies Close: External Offices, Composition Of Governing Bodies Pushed To 2019

The annual World Intellectual Property Organization General Assemblies closed yesterday after 10 days of negotiations. Committee reports and audit and oversight reports were noted to the satisfaction of member states. The Assembly however had no choice yesterday but to push some off for another year to its next meeting in 2019. The composition of two governing bodies of the organisation, a potential treaty on industrial designs, and the location of new WIPO external offices are expected to be the subject of informal consultations until the next WIPO General Assembly. The governing body composition has bearing on the 2020 election of director general.

Trade In 2030: WTO Public Forum Opens With Visions For The Future

What will trade look like in 2030? This is the topic of the 2018 World Trade Organization Public Forum opening today. During the discussion opening the forum, WTO Director General Roberto Azevêdo said technological evolution cannot be stopped and should be shaped so it can yield the best results. Alibaba founder Jack Ma invited governments to build infrastructure to help ecommerce and stop trying to regulate it.

UN High-Level Meeting On Noncommunicable Diseases: A Call To Action

NEW YORK -- The United Nations General Assembly yesterday adopted a high-level political declaration on noncommunicable diseases like cancer and unhealthy lifestyle. And while it gives an infusion of political energy to the issue, some are concerned it did not go far enough and are urging strong actions to follow.