European Court Upholds Confidentiality In International Treaty Talks
The Second Chamber of the European General Court in a judgment today strengthened confidentiality rules in international treaty negotiations.
Intellectual Property Watch
Original news and analysis on international IP policy
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At US-Led Workshop, African Stakeholders Call For “Home Grown IP Agenda”
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania - In a re-cast, smaller version of the event that was planned and postponed last year, the US State Department’s workshop on IP utilisation and protection in Africa opened yesterday. It is co-organised by the African Intellectual Property Group (AIPG), a new pro-IP association of stakeholders across the continent, which says it’s time for Africa find its own voice on intellectual property issues.
Pharma, International Red Cross Combine To Fight NCDs
The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations (IFPMA) and the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) announced on 19 March a two-year partnership on non-communicable diseases.
US Supreme Court Applies First Sale Doctrine Worldwide
Today, the United States Supreme Court handed US copyright owners a stinging defeat. The decision in Kirtsaeng v. John Wiley & Sons dramatically slashes the ability of US copyright owners to control copies of their works. And in so doing, the 6-3 decision blows a huge hole in the global marketing strategy of movie, TV, book and software companies.
WIPO Reports Robust Growth In Demand For IP Rights In 2012
In a press briefing at the United Nations today, World Intellectual Property Organization Director General Francis Gurry described what he qualified as a robust growth in applications for patents, designs and trademarks despite the economic climate.
Samsung Lawyer Assesses IP Legal Battle With Apple
Cape Town, South Africa - Professor Charles Gielen, an insider in the epic design war between Apple and Samsung, has described the hostile standoff between the two corporate giants as a shape-shifting space for intellectual property laws following the different interpretations of IP law the case has evoked from the courts.
Tuberculosis: WHO, Global Fund Call For Mobilisation Of Funds As Resistance Rises
Tuberculosis is now a renewed threat, with strains that prove resistant to multiple drugs and are transmissible and the potential to spread widely, according to the World Health Organization and the Global Fund, which are looking for US$1.6 billion a year to prevent the spread of the disease.
Nearly 50 Groups Demand IPRs Out Of EU-US FTA
Upwards of 50 civil society groups have issued a declaration asking for the exclusion of all forms of intellectual property rights from the upcoming Trans-Atlantic Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and the United States. They raised significant concerns about the potential effect of IP rights’ inclusion on the public interest in the countries involved.
UN Agencies To Examine International Standards, Potential Value For Developing Countries
Five United Nations agencies are joining efforts to tackle the rising issue of private standards which they say are affecting developing countries' exports by creating market entry hurdles for those countries. A new forum will be launched this week, and will establish its priority issues.
Practitioners Discuss Interconnection Between Professional Sports And IP
A recent conference of AROPI (Association Romande de Propriété Intellectuelle), an association of intellectual property practitioners in French-speaking Switzerland, examined how sports and IP interact.
ICANN advierte a EE.UU. de no socavar el Modelo Multisectorial
La “Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers” (ICANN) ha emitido un nuevo comunicado sobre un futuro contrato con Estados Unidos para la gestión de la zona raíz y otras funciones de infraestructura de la internet, advirtiendo de que no se debe socavar el modelo multisectorial para regular las infraestructuras básicas de la internet.
African Ministers Focus On IP Role In Innovation For Development; Less On Flexibilities
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania – The role of innovation as a driving force of social, economic, and environmental development is one of the central themes in post-2015 global development agenda discussions. In a ministerial-level meeting with guidance from the World Intellectual Property Organization last week, African policymakers outlined what they would need to foster innovation at home. Among a list of recommendations, ministers widely agreed on the importance of developing national intellectual property frameworks, capacity building, and raising awareness through education. Encouraging the use of IP flexibilities, however, was largely left out of the conversation.