Category WIPO

UPOV Sprouts A New Public Face – As Farmers Protest

On the occasion of its 50th anniversary, the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) is trying to dispel its image as a non-transparent organisation and is working on a new user-friendly website with public access to a number of formerly reserved documents. Meanwhile, for the first time farmers protested outside the UPOV building in Geneva, as they seek to preserve the ancient practice of saving seeds from their harvests to use the next year.

UPOV Marks 50 Years; Breeders Seek More Enforcement, Civil Society Wants In

This week the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) is celebrating its 50th anniversary. The Union is often criticised by civil society as being opaque, but plant breeders seem reasonably content with the latest version of the convention. However, some breeders that do not rely on seeds to reproduce their plants are seeking a clarification in the convention to prevent illegal use of their protected varieties.

Copyright Infrastructure In The Digital Age: Raising Awareness At WIPO

A global meeting entitled “Enabling Creativity in the Digital Environment: Copyright Documentation and Infrastructure” was held at the World Intellectual Property Organization 13-14 October. Gathering representatives of governments, business leaders, academics, and other stakeholders, the conference was organised in the framework of the Development Agenda Thematic Project on Intellectual Property and the Public Domain.

WIPO To Launch New Drug R&D Database For Neglected Disease Licences

The World Intellectual Property Organization, in conjunction with the World Health Organization, private sector and foundation partners, is preparing to launch a new voluntary database for the sharing of intellectual property for research and development on medicines, vaccines and diagnostics for neglected diseases, according to sources in Geneva.

WIPO Members Embark On Busy Year Of IP Policymaking

World Intellectual Property Organization members this month approved a range of reports from WIPO negotiating committees and took note of changes within the UN agency. Now with the annual WIPO General Assemblies over, work has begun on a hefty policymaking work programme this autumn. Here’s a rundown of what’s coming.

ECJ Decision On Exclusive Broadcasting Licences Could Reach Beyond Sports

A European Court of Justice ruling this week outlawing exclusive broadcasting licences that prohibit the supply of decoder cards to TV viewers outside the EU countries for which the licences are granted will likely affect rights holders and broadcasters of content other than sports, observers said. The decision could also have implications for European Commission attempts to update rules for digital content distribution.

South Africa: TK Legislation In The New Tradition

“Ex Africa semper aliquid novi”, which can be freely translated from Latin to mean “there is always something new coming out of Africa,” said Pliny, the ancient Roman writer and scholar. Presumably then, as is the case now, the concept of “new” included an expression of sarcasm and deprecation as in “absurd, nonsensical and ridiculous.” Well, Pliny has been proved right once again, writes Prof. Owen Dean.

As Bilateral Trade Deals Proceed, WIPO Hears Warnings, Calls For Change

As some developed countries prepared to ink a secret plurilateral trade agreement against rampant global piracy and counterfeiting in recent days, leading emerging economies and non-governmental groups warned the World Intellectual Property Organization that such outside agreements need to respect broader societal impacts of IP rights enforcement or risk abuses of international rules on trade and development.

In Boost To Multilateral System And WIPO, Audiovisual Treaty Set For 2012 Completion

World Intellectual Property Organization members yesterday agreed to attempt completion in 2012 of long-stalled negotiations on a treaty giving clearer protection to the rights of actors and others performing in audiovisual productions. The breakthrough is being seen as good for the multilateral system and, if successfully concluded, for actors and others in developing countries.