incommunicado

Le groupe Propriété Intellectuelle de l’Organisation Mondiale pour le Commerce s’est réuni plus brièvement que prévu, le 2 mars 2010, pour discuter d’un éventuel atelier sur un amendement visant à faciliter l’accès à des médicaments génériques abordables pour les pays dépourvus d’industrie pharmaceutique, d’une nouvelle proposition de la Bolivie, et de trois questions de propriété intellectuelle qui, bien qu’anciennes, n’ont pas connu de développement significatif.

The Brazilian government today announced the start of a process of public consultation on suspension of concessions or obligations of intellectual property rights from the United States. The government on 15 March published a resolution of the Chamber of External Trade (CAMEX) launching the consultation, according to a Brazilian government press release. This follows a WTO [...]

Patients with HIV/AIDS today protested in New Delhi against negotiations for a European Union-India free trade agreement that they say will restrict access to cheaper versions of critical medicines in developing countries. Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF, or Doctors without Borders) said in a statement that India is the source of more than 90 percent of [...]

“Competition and real innovation” will be increasingly difficult if the patent system in Europe is not reformed, the European Generic Medicines Association (EGA) said today at its “Legal Affairs Forum,” which took place on 11 March. The European Patent Office must “look to improve the quality of patent examinations and applications and accelerate examination and [...]

Public interest groups in India are raising questions over annual summits involving Indian judges and policymakers that are being funded by major western industry groups, in particular pharmaceutical companies. At this year’s summit, held recently, a section of India’s patent law which prevents the extension of monopoly power for incremental innovations came under attack, the groups have said.

Reactions have emerged since last week’s release by United States Senate Judiciary Committee bipartisan leaders of details of compromise legislation to reform of US patent laws. Most are generally positive, signalling that a long-sought compromise might be near, but strong reservations remain among some stakeholders.

The recently released US annual trade agenda shows an intention to conquer new international markets, strengthen the global trade system and enforce obligations and US intellectual property rights. The US also means to address what they consider as trade barriers. [Update: President Obama spoke on the trade agenda today, more below.]

The European Parliament today voted overwhelmingly in favour of a demand to be kept fully informed about the secretive Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement under negotiation by the European Commission and about a dozen countries outside Europe. Parliament also opposed controversial provisions such as personal searches at European borders and cutting internet access for anyone found infringing copyright online three times.

The backlog in patent processing could impose £7.6 billion (about USD$11.3 billion) in annual expenses on the global economy within the next five years if nothing is done to fix it, according to a new economics study from the United Kingdom released this morning before directors of several top global intellectual property offices.

Sous l’égide de la Fédération Internationale des Associations de Producteurs de Films (FIAPF), deux cinéastes africains, invités au festival annuel genevois Black Movie, ont tenu à partager leurs idées sur le dynamisme du cinéma africain et la protection du droit d’auteur.

Bill Pollock is the president and founder of No Starch Press, which publishes books on computing. Known to offer the “finest in geek entertainment,” the publishing house has released such titles as “Steal This Computer Book,” “How Linux Works,” “Hacking: The Art of Exploitation,” “The Cult of Mac,” and “The Unofficial LEGO Builder's Guide.” Its books are largely about hacking, open source, security, programming, and non-Windows-based operating systems, such as Linux. Mr. Pollock shared his thoughts with Intellectual Property Watch about hacking, piracy, and future of the book publishing business.

The United Nations International Telecommunication Union (ITU) today released an annual report on information and communications technologies that prompted it to push governments to support continued investment in network rollouts and technology upgrades while pursuing regulations that support still-growing demand for mobile and broadband services. ITU issued its 10th edition of Trends in Telecommunication Reform, [...]

A representative of Google and of the United Nations International Telecommunication Union today spoke of internet freedom in repressive regimes and censorship in Western democracies.

A recent UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) conference on the benefits of agricultural biotechnologies in Guadalajara, Mexico, sparked strong reactions from peasant organisations and civil society.

Electronics manufacturers are taking legal action against users in the United States who communicate how to unlock or “hack” hardware devices. However, manufacturers’ use of their hired legal guns to crack down on hacking, which they say infringes on their intellectual property ownership rights, is a point of debate.

The United Nations goal of eliminating mother-to-child transmission of HIV/AIDS is within reach, the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria said in a progress report released today.

Today the Brazilian government published a list of US goods that will be subject to higher import taxes when entering Brazil, according to a press release. This follows a WTO dispute settlement decision giving Brazil the authorisation to suspend Brazil’s concessions and other obligations in the WTO towards the US which was found in violation of [...]

Submissions to the United States annual review of how well it says the rest of the world is protecting US intellectual property are being assessed this week, with marked changes from previous years.

The World Trade Organization group tasked with negotiating an international register for geographical indications (product names associated with a particular place and characteristics) on wines and spirits will continue to discuss a set of questions and principles about the GI register. The group met yesterday in a formal Special Session. But positions of member states [...]

United States Senate Judiciary Committee bipartisan leaders today released details of much-anticipated compromise legislation aimed at reform of US patent laws. The new bill ostensibly makes significant steps toward resolving longstanding differences in legislative efforts to modernise US law for patent quality and efficiency, and make it more compatible with international laws.