Pandemic Flu A Top Focus Of Health Assembly, But IP Issues Unresolved

As the world looks to the World Health Assembly for a plan of action in case of pandemic, delegates are negotiating remaining parts of a framework for pandemic influenza preparedness, and an associated model agreement for the movement of virus and vaccine-related materials.

A procedural agreement might come as early as Tuesday afternoon, but it remains to be seen whether agreement can be reached on how to handle uncompleted work.

Plainte contre un enseignant argentin : l’accès à l’éducation en question

Un professeur argentin de philosophie qui avait mis en ligne sur Internet des traductions en espagnol des travaux du philosophes français Jacques Derrida est actuellement poursuivi par la justice pour violation présumée des droits d’auteur, selon l’organisation Copy South Research Group. Cette affaire met en lumière les limitations qui découlent de l’application du droit d’auteur sur l’accès à l’éducation.

US Patent Reform Prospects Unclear; First-To-File Questioned

Patent reform may be chugging along in the United States Congress, but so far, with the Senate soon to be consumed with what could be a contentious Supreme Court nomination fight, and with President Obama still lacking a new director of the US Patent and Trademark Office, some are questioning whether reform will actually happen this year. In addition, a key "first-to-file" provision in the US bill to harmonise with other countries may be more appearance than substance.

Un caso sobre derechos de autor en Argentina pone en primer plano el acceso a la educación

Se ha entablado una demanda contra un profesor argentino de filosofía por una presunta violación de derechos de autor ante la publicación de versiones traducidas de las obras del filósofo francés Jacques Derrida en una página web, según informó el Grupo de Investigación CopySouth. El caso atrajo la atención de la comunidad internacional hacia las limitaciones en el acceso a la educación como resultado de los derechos de autor.

WHO Members Fail To Finish Pandemic Flu Preparations

A series of meetings intended to set out a global framework for dealing with a potential pandemic completed its last session Saturday night with progress made but several essential issues still uncompleted.

World Health Assembly Takes On R&D, Pandemics, Not Counterfeits

The annual World Health Assembly kicks off Monday with key issues of intellectual property and public health on the agenda, but the plan to end the assembly early this year in the face of the pandemic influenza crisis has trimmed talks on counterfeit medicines from the meeting, according to official sources.

Experts Aim To Balance Intellectual Property Rights And Human Rights

The United Nations human rights framework is being brought to bear on intellectual property law, in the hopes that the weight of expert voices in human rights can lead IP regimes toward a better balance between the needs of industry and the needs of public policy.

Content Industry Still Seeks Digital Model As Enforcement Focus Persists

In the continued absence of a new model that adequately includes them, major global media groups remain concerned over revenues lost to unauthorised file-sharing decades after the arrival of the internet, and their focus is still on enforcement and extension of their rights.

WHO Meeting On Pandemic Flu Reconvenes Under Pressure

As cases of swine flu in humans pile up and fears that a more serious outbreak could occur in the future, member states, drug manufacturers and public health advocates gather Friday and Saturday to see if they can come up with a way to facilitate sharing of both viruses and vaccine related materials.
Intellectual property laws are a key point of contention at the reconvened meeting.