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.
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.
The European Commission announced today that it is inviting comments on a proposal for new competition rules for the assessment of technology transfer agreements. Under the rules, a licensor permits a licensee to exploit patents, know-how or software for the production of goods and services, it said.
Twenty-four members of the European Union today signed the unified patent court agreement in
Brussels, including Italy.
As several countries prepare to sign an international agreement establishing an EU unified patent court, debate still rages over whether the concept of the court, and of a single EU patent, is actually feasible. Some say a unified patent in the near term is a “dead letter,” while one patent lawyer believes that while some technical issues remain, the system will spring into life in the not-too-distant future.
The following is a reprint from the EU research and development network, Cordis, summarising recent activity on the EU Digital Agenda.
The Digital Agenda for Europe and its 101 actions form a vital part of the overall Europe 2020 strategy for securing smart, sustainable and inclusive growth. The actions are organised in seven pillars, or 'containers': digital single market, interoperability and standards, trust and security, fast and ultra-fast internet access, research and innovation, digital literacy, skills and inclusion, and ICT-enabled benefits for EU society. In the previous part of this story we covered the digital single market, interoperability, security, and fast internet access. Next we look at ICT support for research…
The European Parliament last week overwhelmingly adopted a text on transparency that was said to improve conditions for generic medicines in the region. The voting documents are now available.
The United Kingdom Intellectual Property Office has appointed its fourth IP attaché, this time to represent UK businesses in the 10 countries that make up the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN).
The coming year promises to be very interesting at the intersection of intellectual property with biotechnology and biodiversity. Patentability of human genes in the United States, of conventionally bred plants in Europe, plant breeders' rights and the management of regulatory authorisations when patents on genetic traits expire, the future of genetically modified organisms in developing countries, and the usual resistance they are meeting from civil society and famers' groups are some of the issues that will continue to feed debates – and potentially create opportunities - in 2013.
The European Commission has launched an initiative called “Licences for Europe” aimed at promoting copyright licences, as a next step in maintaining traditional copyright in light of new digital technologies.
The high-level Munich Security Conference this weekend saw a considerable push for going forward with a Transatlantic Free Trade Agreement (TAFTA). Both US Vice-President Joe Biden and German Minister of Foreign Affairs Guido Westerwelle said such an agreement is within reach. But according to experts, negotiations also could re-open discussions on intellectual property protection.
Copies made by end-users for private purposes in the context of a service previously licensed by copyright holders don't cause harm that should be subject to private copying levies on reproduction devices such as MP3 players, blank DVDs and photocopiers, a European Commission-appointed mediator said in recommendations published on 31 January. António Vitorino suggested major changes to Europe's copy levy system to align it with the digital world, but said at a press briefing that “there is still some way to go” to bring stakeholder positions together.