Original news and analysis on international IP policy
Experts discussing the protection of genetic resources at the World Intellectual Property Organization this week are struggling to stay within their technical mandate as the issues carry significant political impact. Discussions today resulted in a marked-up text on objectives and principles of a possible international instrument that reveals key differences among members on the role of IP, and of WIPO, in genetic resources.
Having successfully advanced discussions toward treaties on the protection of folklore and traditional knowledge, country experts this week are meeting at the World Intellectual Property Organization to discuss the protection of genetic resources. But this time, it might prove trickier.
After a week of technical discussions to elaborate a draft text designed to help the World Intellectual Property Organization member states reach a treaty text on the protection of traditional knowledge, experts provided a set of draft articles, comments and proposed amendments.
Experts gathered at the World Intellectual Property Organization to produce a negotiating document on traditional knowledge produced a cleaner text yesterday.
After two days of broad analysis of a draft document on traditional knowledge, country experts were to convene today in small drafting groups to trim down the language and arrive at a treaty negotiating text for the delegates meeting at the World Intellectual Property Organization in May.
A group of country experts are gathered at the World Intellectual Property Organization this week to elaborate a draft text on intellectual property and traditional knowledge. The positive momentum set by the results obtained by experts on traditional cultural expressions last July paved the way for this week’s agenda.
Patents and public health are sometimes seen as a mismatch, but three prominent international organisations today stepped up their collaboration on ways to facilitate access to medicines by making a better use of the patent system. Effective, reliable and transparent information on patents is necessary to help decision-makers take the best public health approaches for global health coverage, panellists said.
An influential private sector trademark defender is proposing to the World Intellectual Property Organization to undertake creation of an international “notice and takedown” system for alleged online trademark infringers.
And he told Intellectual Property Watch that this will be followed in a few months by a separate proposal for a “notice-and-trackdown” article requiring internet service providers to divulge information about online counterfeiters so they can be gone after.
Determining the value of patented inventions is akin to a guessing game, said a speaker at the World Intellectual Property Organization yesterday. Companies should try to spread their patents over related technological innovations rather focusing on one patent, hoping it will be “the philosopher’s stone”.
The storm appears to be subsiding for international patent filings as 2010 showed a cautious recovery in growth, the head of the World Intellectual Property Organization said today. After the first-ever drop in applications in 2009, 2010 filings almost returned to their 2008 level. And China holds pole position in growth numbers.
A recent economic survey by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) assessed the expected growth in domestic and international patent filings in 2010 compared to 2009. The highest expected growth rates were reported in Asian countries, with modest and declining growth reported in Europe and the United States respectively.
PARIS - The rise of counterfeiting and global economic difficulties combined to sap resources devoted to intellectual property enforcement, said panellists at an event highlighting the fight against counterfeiting and piracy yesterday, and discussed innovative solutions. Meanwhile a civil society group said enforcement of IP rights is a false solution to substandard medicines.