Original news and analysis on international IP policy
The United Kingdom government has announced a change to the UK Patents Act that it says will help keep the country’s life sciences industry at the forefront of innovation by removing certain risks of drug development companies infringing patents.
The United Nations International Telecommunication Union (ITU) foresees a busy year, and one in which it continues its longstanding role as the key convener of international policymaking on information and communications technologies, the ITU secretary general has said. And it has started the year with efforts to patch over deep divisions among its members that arose at an ITU conference in December.
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) has issued a new policy memorandum increasing public access to federally funded scientific research, including peer-reviewed publications and digital data.
New research shows that more rigid laws regulating hazardous chemicals encourage innovation in both large and small companies, according to a report published by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL).
A United Nations agency has linked shipments of fraudulent pharmaceuticals with cocaine trafficking and smuggling of migrants as illegal activities carried out by transnational organised crime syndicates that are contributing to instability in West Africa.
Least developed countries next week will ask that World Trade Organization members grant them another extension of the transition period to enforce intellectual property protection measures beyond the current date of 1 July 2013. In addition, the issues of plain packaging for tobacco products and innovation will be back on the agenda of the WTO intellectual property committee.
After months of delay, the Standing Committee of the Law of Patents (SCP) opened a meeting on 25 February at the World Intellectual Property Organization and will endeavour to advance negotiations on highly contentious issues including quality of patents, patents and health, and exceptions and limitations to patent rights.
The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) today released an updated version of their web-based intellectual property assessment tool, which aims to make small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) more aware of their IP assests.
A week of arduous negotiations and doubts at the World Intellectual Property Organization about progress on a text to become a treaty for the benefit of visually impaired people was concluded positively yesterday with a sigh of relief by most delegations, and observers. A new text was issued and even though most deemed that crucial issues were addressed, some are outstanding and delegates will meet again in April to continue their drafting efforts.
The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) today in a report accused Google of not doing enough to stop Internet users from accessing websites repeatedly accused of copyright infringement.
There will be a chapter on intellectual property protection in the draft proposals for a US-EU free trade agreement - the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) - EU Trade Commissioner Karel De Gucht said today at a meeting of the International Trade Committee of the European Union in Brussels. The TTIP will be a comprehensive agreement that will create the largest free trade zone in the world, according to De Gucht.
While country delegates at the World Intellectual Property Organization are working to find consensus on a text to become a treaty for the benefit of blind and visually impaired people, industry and non-governmental organisations are pushing their agendas.