Original news and analysis on international IP policy
The inner workings of United Nations agencies can be very complicated, with clashes of cultures and management styles and any number of pressures. The case of the UN World Intellectual Property Organization appears to be a particular example in this respect.
Innovation holds a centre stage at the World Trade Organization Public Forum this year. During the opening plenary today, the WTO director general said the organisation needs updating. And some participants said international trade is at a crossroads, with much to gain or lose.
The United States Congress' failure to pass a budget for the government by the end of the fiscal year on 30 September, which led to today's shutdown, will have a variety of effects on the patent process, according to a new article.
Last week, WIPO members that are parties to a special agreement on the protection of appellations of origin agreed to convene a diplomatic conference in 2015 to adopt a revision of the 1958 Lisbon Agreement. The revised treaty would extend to all geographical indications the protection already granted to appellations of origin. The decision to convene a diplomatic conference, however, stirred up controversy with a number of WIPO members that are not parties to the treaty.
Former US National Security Agency and British MI5 employees urged the European Parliament yesterday to push for better better democratic oversight over secret services and better protection of whistleblowers. Nothing less than the sovereignty of states and of citizens are at stake, warned former NSA official Thomas Drake.
Policymakers at the World Intellectual Property Organization annual General Assembly over the past week have had significant exposure to what industry and creators are up to. Meanwhile, WIPO members approved the mandate for the WIPO committee on IP enforcement.
The World Intellectual Property Organization General Assembly today renewed the mandate of its committee working on the protection of genetic resources, traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions. The full membership approved a deal reached in an informal session on 27 September, and statements made today showed that profound differences remain.
The European Patent Office released a study today on the impact of intellectual property rights on the European economy, finding that some 40 percent of the total economic activity in the European Union is generated by “intellectual property rights-intensive industries.”
As many as 300 members of the staff of the World Intellectual Property Organization have supported a petition urging the WIPO director general to withdraw a proposed amendment to the internal justice system at the UN agency, according to informed sources. The petition calls on WIPO member states to reject the proposed changes.
Two candidates to lead the UN World Intellectual Property Organization from 2014 to 2020 have been formally nominated by their governments in the past week. And according to sources, others are being considered.
The upcoming meeting of the World Trade Organization committee on intellectual property includes a newcomer on the agenda. The European Union, Jamaica, Mexico and the United States have requested an agenda item on intellectual property and sports.
The World Trade Organization Dispute Settlement Body has established a panel on a complaint by Honduras against Australia's measure to require tobacco to be sold in plain packaging as a public health measure.