A2K Standards Proposed For UN Consumer Guidelines
Consumers International today invited comments and proposals for a set of proposed amendments to include access to knowledge standards in the United Nations Guidelines for Consumer Protection.
Intellectual Property Watch
Original news and analysis on international IP policy
Let The WIPO Dialogues Begin!
Negotiators at the UN World Intellectual Property Organization in Geneva will have a new conference hall in which to debate in 2013, with construction starting this summer, according to a press release.
Maria Pallante Named Head Of US Copyright Office
A lawyer with experience representing copyright holders such as authors and museums today was named the top copyright official in the United States government.
Partnership To Share Research, Keep IP Rights, On Neglected Diseases
The Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative (DNDi) signed an agreement with pharmaceutical manufacturer Sanofi on 30 May for a three-year research project on nine neglected tropical diseases that will come with intellectual property rights on research results for both sides, according to a press release from the international organisation in Switzerland.
Outgoing US Commerce Chief Backs House Patent Reform Bill, Nearly
Outgoing United States Commerce Secretary Gary Locke today gave near-complete approval of legislation to reform US patent law which is awaiting action in the House of Representatives.
Proposed EU Customs Regulation May Not Dispel Fear Of Wrongful Drug Seizures
The European Commission has issued a new draft customs regulation that it says addresses past concerns over wrongful seizures of generic drug shipments transiting through European ports. But the new regulation does not substantively change existing rules, it said, and civil society groups say it does not go far enough. The EU regulation is the subject of a World Trade Organization dispute settlement case.
WHO Board Lays Out Steps To UN Agency’s Reform
The World Health Organization Executive Board last week requested more details on the organisation's planned reform and established a consultative process for the reform, according to sources.
G8 Highlights Internet, IP Rights, Innovation, WIPO
Leaders of the Group of Eight industrialised countries today concluded their annual meeting, this year held in Deauville, France, with a communiqué bearing extensive discussion of the internet, intellectual property rights, and innovation - and a call for the World Intellectual Property Organization to step up work. In fact, it had a lot more to say about these issues than it did about the global economy or trade.
New “Final” ACTA Text Published, Open For Signature
A new "final" text of the secretive but potent Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA) has been published by the European Commission, according to the Foundation for Free Information Infrastructure (FFII).
UN Project Examines Better Access To Drugs For The Poor Through Local Production
Improving access to medicines in developing countries through local pharmaceutical production is at the centre of a project involving several institutional actors working on health and trade. Technology transfer is key to local production, but some prerequisites like a favourable policy environment and the ability of developing countries to use technology transfer are essential to encourage local production, according to panellists at a recent event.