Category WIPO

WHO, WTO, WIPO Put Their Collective Mind To Antibiotic Resistance Calamity

Resistance to antibiotics by bacteria has been steadily growing and is now considered as a major threat to global public health, with some catastrophic projections of millions of death and billions of dollars in economic impact. The World Trade Organization, World Health Organization and World Intellectual Property Organization today are holding a joint technical symposium on antimicrobial resistance, and how to encourage innovation, appropriate use of antibiotics, and wide access to treatments and diagnostics.

Design Treaty Not Discussed At WIPO Committee; Information Session On GIs To Be Held In Spring

Fresh from intense discussions at the World Intellectual Property Organization General Assemblies earlier this month, delegates to a WIPO committee today agreed to hold an information session on geographical indications in the spring, and to further work on industrial designs. However, no further discussions to help break the deadlock on a proposed design law treaty could be arranged this week.

WIPO Wants Its Pro Bono Patent Lawyer Scheme To Aid Developing Countries’ Inventors

Imagine you’re an inventor in the Philippines and want to file a patent for, say, a fishing implement you’ve invented, but your $9,000 a year income thwarts your ability to pay the legal fees to register it and develop it commercially.

You could be stumped from the start.

Panel: WIPO Assistance Should Provide Developing Countries With Choices On Plant Variety Protection

A side event to last week’s annual General Assemblies of the World Intellectual Property Organization looked at ways for developing countries to design sui generis system for protecting new varieties of plant. The event also looked into the technical assistance provided by WIPO, which, according to the groups, focuses only on the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV) system.

Licensing, Choice And New Players: Keys To Fostering Local Film Production

Audiovisual producers at a side event to the recent World Intellectual Property Organization General Assemblies shared experiences and exchanged best practices in the use of copyright and related rights’ frameworks. Speakers said they seek an enabling environment, where makers of audiovisual works can achieve economic sustainability and contribute to local employment and growth through the creation and supply of local audiovisual works.

Industry Seeks Policy Change To Strengthen Protection for GIs, Country Names Online

Calls for the international community to promote and strengthen the protection of geographical indications and country names on the internet were made at the first side event of the annual General Assemblies of the World Intellectual Property Organization that ended last week.

WIPO General Assembly Agrees On Two New WIPO Offices; No Deal On Design Treaty

The somewhat puzzling suspense around which countries would be home to new country offices of the World Intellectual Property Organization was partially resolved as the annual WIPO General Assembly came to end yesterday after working till dawn on the bureaucratic issue. Only two candidates out of six could be agreed upon, both in Africa: Algeria and Nigeria. WIPO member states also agreed to amend the organisation’s oversight charter. But they had no luck on the decision to hold a high-level meeting to conclude a treaty on industrial designs.

WIPO Assembly Adopts Revisions For Stronger Oversight, Protection Of Whistleblowers

After much negotiation, amendments to a World Intellectual Property Organization internal oversight mechanism were adopted today by the annual WIPO General Assembly. Under the amendments, investigating allegations of wrongdoing of high-ranking WIPO officials will be made more transparent and facilitate access to documents by WIPO member states in case of an investigation.

Which “Brazil” Will Chair The Marrakesh Treaty Assembly?

The supposedly impossible happened: The Marrakesh Treaty entered into force on 30 September, three months after reaching the necessary minimum of 20 ratifications. By then, 22 countries had done so – two more did so during the Marrakesh Assembly.

Interview With Brazilian Culture Minister Marcelo Calero

At last week's first-ever Assembly of the Marrakesh Treaty, Intellectual Property Watch caught up with the Assembly Chair, new Brazilian Culture Minister Marcelo Calero. He talked briefly about the importance of libraries and of implementing the Marrakesh Treaty.