Original news and analysis on international IP policy
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA - Public groups this week urged Mark Dybul, head of the Geneva-based Global Fund for HIV, Tuberculosis and Malaria, to reconsider the establishment of a panel to look at tiered pricing for middle income countries, potentially allowing companies to charge them higher prices. And separately, activists reported on progress in South Africa's HIV strategy.
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA - Intellectual property rights represent a hurdle to lower-priced, high quality tests of HIV treatment monitoring in developing countries, public health group Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF, Doctors without Borders) said today.
CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA – Some 350 experts from around the world are gathering here this week to discuss intellectual property rights and innovation as they relate to the public interest.
The Africa Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) this week was expected to consider a proposal to move toward a biotechnology-friendly future, but small farmers say the current proposal will damage their ability to exist in the those countries.
Developing countries have been under pressure for years to join the global intellectual property system established by developed countries, and they have been doing so gradually. But now the leading emerging economies have taken matters into their own hands and signed an IP cooperation roadmap among themselves that will boost their uptake of IP in a way that is most favourable to them.
For years, the developed countries that own the vast majority of the world’s patents - and therefore pay the majority of the revenues of the World Intellectual Property Organization – have looked unsuccessfully for a way to increase harmonisation of the global patent system through the UN agency. Developed countries have moved forward on their own, while WIPO is taking a gentle approach, encouraging member states “look below the headline issue” to a more “granular” level.
The importance of cooperation among developing and least-developed countries in the field of intellectual property is rising, and is a key vector of technology-sharing, according to speakers at a conference on the subject at the World Intellectual Property Organization. Developing countries are strongly in favour of further work in this area, while WIPO will soon launch a dedicated webpage on South-South cooperation.
DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA – An industry-government conference here last week captured the high spirit of innovation in South Africa, and discussed ways in which intellectual property rights play a role in the effort.
DURBAN, SOUTH AFRICA - There are human rights issues with intellectual property, Mmboneni Muofhe, deputy director-general for international cooperation and resources at the South African Department of Science and Technology, said at an industry-driven conference here this week.
CAPE TOWN - The much-anticipated process of public submissions into the draft South Africa National Intellectual Property Policy has come to a close. The country’s trade minister says the office is busy collating the 100 documents submitted by interested stakeholders and plans to submit a formal policy to cabinet for approval in the first quarter of next year.
CAPE TOWN – The much-anticipated process of gathering public submissions on the draft South Africa National Intellectual Property Policy has come to a close. The country’s trade minister says the office is busy collating some 100 documents submitted by interested…
An event being held in Durban, South Africa next week will bring the expertise of global and local businesses, governments, academics and others to the issues of harnessing foreign intellectual property rights as well as creating local IP rights.