Category Africa

Lessons From South Africa: Protecting Non-Expressive Uses In Copyright Reform

Matthew Sag and Sean Flynn write: This week, the South African Parliament began accepting comments on its pending Bill proposing to amend the South African Copyright Act to align it with the digital age. We and other experts and civil society organizations submitted comments praising many of the Bill’s provisions and proposing that it adopt an “open” fair use right. Here we focus on one major reason to adopt an open fair use right – to authorize so-called non-expressive uses of works. We conclude with some reflections on how international law could help in this regard.

Enter The African Medicines Agency, Continent’s First Super-Regulator?

An African medicines agency, the continent’s first super-regulator, could be approved as soon as next year.

World’s Most Effective HIV Drug Rolled Out In Africa In Generic Version

NAIROBI, Kenya - A generic version of dolutegravir (DTG), the drug of choice for the last two years for people living with HIV in high-income countries, is now available in Africa. On 28 June, the government of Kenya and drug pricing and innovation mechanism Unitaid unveiled the new first-line drug in an effort to accelerate access to better antiretroviral (ARV) drugs for her people living with HIV. It becomes the first country in Africa to introduce the generic version of drug.

Fredrick Nzwili
June 29, 2017

South Africa Cabinet Considers Draft IP Policy

CAPE TOWN--The highest decision-making body of government has finally considered the much-anticipated draft intellectual property policy of South Africa.

Linda Daniels
June 6, 2017

Ethiopian Becomes First African Head Of World Health Organization

In a novel election process for the first time involving the full organisation membership, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus of Ethiopia this evening was elected as the next director general of the World Health Organization, becoming the first official from Africa to be chosen to head the United Nations health agency.

William New
May 23, 2017
2 Comments

Attacks On WHO Candidate Are Defamatory, ‘Colonial’, Ambassador Says

The African Union delegation to the United Nations came in outspoken numbers to a press briefing today to express unshakable support for the Ethiopian candidate to be the next head of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus.

International IP Treaties Bring Tension in Africa’s Homegrown Knowledge Governance

CAPE TOWN, South Africa -- The belief that intellectual property promotes foreign direct investment and international trade has brought tension in African countries’ ability to eliminate trade barriers, and to ensure local governments are able to develop policies that respond to local needs, according to an extensive new analysis.

Munyaradzi Makoni
May 15, 2017

Court Ruling On IP Struggle Between Movie Producers Shows Level Of Copyright Awareness In Nigeria

LAGOS, Nigeria -- A federal high court in Lagos granted an interim order on 24 March, stopping the premiere and release of a movie called the “Okafor’s Law” over copyright infringement.

Jackie Opara
April 24, 2017
3 Comments

Licence For A New Hepatitis Treatment, With An Eye To Affordability

The Medicines Patent Pool has received a licence to develop ravidasvir, a new treatment for hepatitis C.

Kim Treanor
April 21, 2017
2 Comments

QUNO Briefs: Food Security Needs Farmers In Global Discussions, Agricultural Biodiversity

The participation of small-scale farmers at the table of international negotiations and the protection of agricultural biodiversity are key to food security, according to the Quaker United Nations Office, which published last month two policy briefs with a list of recommendations.

Catherine Saez
April 21, 2017

African Civil Society, Farmers Demand ARIPO Lift Blackout On Protocol Protecting Plant Varieties

Civil society and farmers allege communication blackout from by the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) about a protocol protecting new plant varieties. The 2015 protocol was highly criticised by those organisations as endangering traditional practices of African farmers. Draft regulations could not be adopted in December, but the regional organisation, according to the civil society and farmer groups, is keeping the outcome of the December meeting secret.

Catherine Saez
April 20, 2017
1 Comment

Public-Private Coalition’s High-Profile Delinkage Policy For Emerging Vaccines

It’s early February in Tchaourou district, Borgou in Benin, and a pregnant woman is admitted to hospital. Her premature baby is born by caesarean section but she dies a day later on February 12th. It turns out she had Lassa fever, a deadly viral haemorrhagic disease. But that’s only discovered after the baby is discharged from hospital and taken to northern Togo. The newborn also becomes ill and is taken to hospital for treatment.