Original news and analysis on international IP policy
The Development Agenda at the World Intellectual Property Organization is a “potentially revolutionary” agreement, according to a book released this month, but whether it will fulfil that promise depends on its implementation into concrete practice, said a panel of academics at the book’s launch.
The European Commission on Monday released a report finding fault with a number of United States practices related to intellectual property rights policy, on copyright, geographical indications, trademarks and patents. The report is an answer, one might say, to the US Special 301 report that criticises US trading partners it deems unilaterally to be insufficiently protecting its companies’ IP rights.
Officials from least developed nations on Friday agreed to a strategy for using intellectual property to encourage local innovation, protect national cultural and genetic resources, attract foreign direct investment, and spur development at a World Intellectual Property Organization forum on the use of intellectual property for “prosperity and development.” But they did not appear to highlight other options for development such as exceptions and limitations to copyright or flexibilities they are allowed in applying IP laws.
The member governments of the World Intellectual Property Organization this week carefully analysed the draft programme and budget for 2010-2011 proposed by the WIPO secretariat – the first one fully reflecting the strategic realignment of the UN organisation by Director General Francis Gurry. And despite some 200 interventions by governments on aspects of the plan, there appeared to be support for the secretariat’s proposal for a two-year budget of CHF618.6 million Swiss francs (US$577.2 million), a decrease from 2008-2009 of 1.6 percent or CHF9.8 million Swiss francs.
A conference at the World Intellectual Property Organization exploring and clarifying the connection between its work and several major public policy issues ended Tuesday with a look at public health and food security.
A conference aimed at sketching out ideas for the World Intellectual Property Organization’s involvement in issues of global public policy kicked off Monday with explorations on the link intellectual property and environmental technology and a separate event devoted to access to reading material for the visually impaired.
In a short videocast, Lammy offers his views on global public policy, patent backlogs, patent pools and the role of WIPO.
TERUEL, ESPAGNE – Les indications géographiques (IG), qui favorisent une croissance économique durable et offrent une garantie de qualité, servent à la fois les intérêts des producteurs et ceux des consommateurs. Telle est la conclusion d’une réunion à haut niveau…
Leaders of the seven biggest economies and Russia (G8) at their annual summit this week in L'Aquila, Italy have made very cautious commitments with regard to the top issue, climate change, but views on intellectual property rights enforcement began to become clear on the second day. The summit so far has addressed issues related to trade, development, terrorism, and also innovation and IP.
Statements in the leaders' Wednesday declaration with regard to intellectual property called for a firm push for the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), which is unchanged from the past. But the G8 IP Expert Group (IPEG) on Thursday published the results of its discussion in which they went into more detail on some issues.
With three important processes coming to a head at the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) this year, it is difficult not to overlook some changes in the private body, which oversees the internet domain name system. At ICANN's recent board meeting, the appointment of a shiny new CEO, former United States Homeland Security Department cybersecurity director Rod Beckstrom, drew attention away from top issues, which include the introduction of new top-level domains, ongoing institutional reform, and the looming September expiration of the ICANN-US government agreement.
The World Intellectual Property Organization committee on the protection of indigenous knowledge, expressions and genetic resources failed to reach consensus on future work Friday, putting the future of the committee in the hands of the WIPO General Assemblies in September.
World Intellectual Property Organization members this week are intensively working toward agreement on a proposal to start negotiations for a tool to better protect traditional knowledge, genetic resources, and traditional cultural expressions, after nearly a decade of talking about the subject.