In-Depth Interview With WIPO Director General Francis Gurry

Francis Gurry became the fourth director general of the World Intellectual Property Organization on 1 October. Gurry, an Australian, is a 23-year veteran of WIPO, most recently deputy director general in charge patents, the Patent Cooperation Treaty, the WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Centre and global IP issues. His full biography is here.

Intellectual Property Watch sat down with Gurry in his office this month to ask about changes at the organisation and the future of the IP system, differences from predecessors, development, open source, and his personal management style.

Blind Readers Seek Guarantee Of Access Under EU Copyright Law

By David Cronin for Intellectual Property Watch BRUSSELS – Exceptions to European Union copyright rules designed to allow blind people access to publications should be made legally binding, according to disability rights organisations. In July, the European Commission opened a…

New Arab Group Aims At Protecting Local Products With Geographical Origins

By Wagdy Sawahel for Intellectual Property Watch In a bid to harness the significant value of geographical indications to the economies of the 22 member states of the Arab League, an Arab Society for Geographical Indications (ASGI) has been proposed.…

Panel: WTO Cross-Retaliation Could Bring Compliance But Political Pressure High

By Catherine Saez
Inducing compliance, after a favourable ruling of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Dispute Settlement Body, from countries which breached international trade rules can prove difficult, especially for developing countries. For many of them, retaliation in a trade sector unrelated to the one affected by the violation of WTO rules may be the only viable option, although the major obstacles are not legal but political, according to speakers at a roundtable held on Friday in Geneva.

TRIPS May Evolve To Keep Pace With Modern IP Concerns

By Dugie Standeford and Kaitlin Mara The World Trade Organization Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights Agreement (TRIPS) is being “recalibrated” as developing and developed countries challenge old assumptions, Vanderbilt University law professor Daniel Gervais said this week. The first…

Indigenous People Seek Recognition At WIPO Meeting On Their Rights

By Kaitlin Mara Indigenous groups are looking for better representation at the United Nations body negotiating on issues related to the protection of their traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions. At the World Intellectual Property Organization last week, indigenous groups,…

Le Comité de l’OMPI sur les savoirs traditionnels et le folklore ne parvient pas à trouver d’accord

Par Kaitlin Mara Vendredi dernier, en fin de soirée, ce sont des représentants gouvernementaux épuisés qui ont dû admettre que les négociations internationales relatives aux savoirs traditionnels et au folklore qui se sont déroulées à l’Organisation mondiale de la propriété…

No hay acuerdo en las negociaciones del Comité de la OMPI sobre conocimientos tradicionales y folclore

Por Kaitlin Mara Tarde en la noche del viernes, los para entonces cansados funcionarios gubernamentales tuvieron que admitir que habían llegado a un punto muerto en las negociaciones de la Organización Mundial de la Propiedad Intelectual sobre la protección internacional…