Category Regional Policy

An Alternative Proposal For Enhancing Developing Country Access To Patented Medicines

By Wagdy Sawahel for Intellectual Property Watch An intellectual property model intended to preserve the structure of patent protection while adding balance for developing countries has been proposed to provide incentives for innovators to contribute toward the alleviation of suffering…

Rapid Rise In African Anti-Counterfeiting Efforts Led By Developed Nations

By Nick Wadhams for Intellectual Property Watch NAIROBI, KENYA – Amid fears that huge quantities of counterfeit medicines and pesticides are pouring into Africa, the international law enforcement agency INTERPOL is leading the way to invest more effort and money…

US Appeals Court Hears High-Profile Case On USPTO Power Over Patent Rules

By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch
Before a packed audience, the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit (CAFC) Friday tackled the highly controversial dispute between the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) and much of the patent bar over rules capping the number of continuation requests and claims patent seekers can submit without incurring additional expenses and paperwork.

Brazilian Draft Law Would Curb Expanded Patents On Pharmaceuticals

[Update from the author: Brazil announced on 19 December adoption of the resolution against the extension of patent rights to second-use drugs and polymorphs. Such patents were seen as subterfuges from the pharmaceutical companies to expand their patent rights. The…

Peer To Patent System May Become Model For Patent Offices

By Liza Porteus Viana for Intellectual Property Watch
A pilot patent peer review system in the United States could serve as a model for patent offices around the globe.

New York Law School, in cooperation with the US Patent and Trademark Office, is in its second year of Peer To Patent, an innovative initiative that opens the patent examination process to public participation. The online system allows the public to supply prior art to assess the claims of pending patent applications. The goal is to provide patent examiners with as much information as possible, and ultimately increase the quality of approved patents.

Proyecto de biblioteca de Google suscita inquietudes respecto a su impacto sobre el acceso a los conocimientos

Por William New El acuerdo que ha sido proclamado como un gran avance en la digitalización del conocimiento humano también está abriendo ciertos interrogantes sobre el acceso a esta información para la mayoría de las personas, según comentó un experto…

IP Roadmap Aims At Facilitating Technology Transfer In The Arab World

By Wagdy Sawahel for Intellectual Property Watch An intellectual property “roadmap” for the Arab world has been proposed for facilitating technology transfer as well as the adaptation of acquired technologies to local needs and contributing to the evolution of new…

Librarians Take The Copyright Battleground In Developing Countries

By William New CHISINAU, MOLDOVA – Creativity may not be the first thing that comes to mind when travelling through the kilometres of mostly grey, Soviet-era cement-block buildings outlying the capital of Moldova, often referred to as Europe’s poorest state.…