Category Asia/Pacific

Trade And Development With A Dash Of IP: Conference To Set Course For UNCTAD

The quadrennial conference of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) sets the course of the UN body work for the next four years. The mandate of the conference has evolved since its creation to become mainly a provider of research, policy analysis and technical assistance to developing countries. This time around, the conference will serve as a wide-ranging forum for trade and development issues, and intellectual property issues will haunt discussions in several areas.

Catherine Saez
April 11, 2012

Novartis India Challenge Postponed To July

The Indian Supreme Court today postponed hearing the high-profile case involving Swiss pharmaceutical producer Novartis' challenge of India's patent law until July, according to sources.

William New
March 28, 2012
2 Comments

Singapore Seeks To Liberalise Patent Law In Bid To Become IP Hub

South-east Asia's economic juggernaut Singapore will hold a public consultation on a proposal to liberalise its patent law in a bid to cement its position as the intellectual property (IP) hub in the region.

Intérêt de l’entreprise et choix stratégiques : les licences concédées par Gilead au Medicines Patent Pool

Bien que Gilead ait apporté des améliorations considérables à ses précédentes licences volontaires portant sur des médicaments antirétroviraux essentiels, les licences que l’entreprise a concédées au Medicines Patent Pool, fondation créée par UNITAID, comportent des restrictions regrettables qui fragilisent leur impact sur l’accès à des antirétroviraux génériques de qualité garantie plus abordables dans les pays en développement.

Intellectual Property Watch
March 14, 2012

India Grants First Compulsory Licence, For Bayer Cancer Drug

In a move welcomed by many in the international community, India has granted an application, its first, from a homegrown generic drug maker to manufacture and sell a patented cancer drug under a compulsory licence.

Novartis Before India’s Supreme Court: What’s Really At Stake?

As the Novartis Glivec patent case in India reaches the final phase of a long-running legal battle, there’s one point on which both the Swiss pharmaceutical company and its critics agree: the significance of this case goes far beyond the protection of a single medication.

EU-India Summit Kicks Off Amidst Warnings Of Impact On Medicines Access

The European Union and India today will engage in a high-level meeting in New Delhi with an agenda that includes energy and climate, research and development, and information and communications technologies. But as they enter the meeting, an international health agency and a powerful health advocacy group have issued statements of concern that intellectual property provisions in a bilateral free trade agreement under negotiation will stifle critical generic medicines production in India, putting thousands of poor patients at risk worldwide.

William New
February 10, 2012
5 Comments

Philippines: IP Office Cannot Issue Injunctions On Counterfeit Claims

The Philippines Justice Secretary has issued an opinion that an agency cannot issue an injunction against an alleged counterfeiter as the complainant must be an actual party with an interest in the case.

William New
December 1, 2011

India: Novartis Hearing Postponed To February

The Supreme Court in New Delhi has postponed the Novartis v. Union of India hearing. The case will now be heard on 28 February 2012.

William New
November 30, 2011

US, China Hold High-Level Talks On IP Policy

The United States and China made notable progress on a range of intellectual property policy issues in cabinet-level meetings ending today, according to the US government.

William New
November 21, 2011

Global Action To Open Generic Competition For Key AIDS Drug

Public health advocates in a dozen countries worldwide have launched a coordinated campaign to bring about generic competition on a key medicine for HIV/AIDS, currently under patent by a pharmaceutical producer.

William New
November 16, 2011
1 Comment

Plurilateral Trade Agreements Lack Protections For Users, Intermediaries

The role of online intermediaries in copyright enforcement is on the international negotiating table in recent plurilateral trade agreements. Those negotiating with the US would be advised to examine carefully what is being offered, writes Margot Kaminski.