In advance of the XIX International AIDS Conference, U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk wrote a blog about the Trans Pacific Partnership and access to medicine. He stresses that his office has received input on IPR issues from “all sides of…
In Germany, nightclubs will face higher royalty payments when a new policy by the collecting society Gesellschaft für Musikalische Aufführung (GEMA) takes effect on January 1. The new fees will be based on the size of the venue and the…
Last night, Congresswoman Barbara Lee introduced the Ending the HIV/AIDS Epidemic Act of 2012 (HR 6138). One section of the bill aims at protecting the use of flexible intellectual property policies allowing access to medicines in low and middle income…
The Mexican Senate and House of Representatives have passed resolutions calling for the President to reverse the signing of ACTA. The Senate resolution, sponsored by Sens. Francisco Javier Castellón Fonseca, Carlos Sotelo García, María Beatriz Zavala Peniche, and Dip. Rodrigo…
A coalition of Thai civil society groups has written a letter opposing Gilead’s patents for the fixed-dose combination of AVR tenofovir and emtricitaine (TDF+FTC, sold under the brand name Truvada), an important first-line therapy for the treatment of HIV The…
The European Commission has announced a new policy that will require open access to articles funded through its “Horizon 2020” program, an €80 billion initiative to drive research, innovation and competitiveness throughout the continent. The policy recommends that Member states…
The British government has announced that it will make government-funded research freely available beginning next year. The Research Council’s UK announcement states that the new policy “will apply to all qualifying publications being submitted for publication from 1 April 2013”…
Infojustice Roundup Canadian Supreme Court Rules in Favor of Broad Interpretations of Fair Dealing The court issued rulings last week in five separate cases that involved fair dealing. According to Michael Geist, “the court has reaffirmed that fair dealing…
Earlier this month, the 2012 Global Innovation Index (GII) was jointly published by WIPO and INSEAD. The GII profiles 141 countries according to 84 indicators, which fit into the following categories: institutions, human capital and research, infrastructure, market sophistication, business…
Mexico’s Ambassador to Japan, Claude Heller, signed ACTA on July 12, 2012. A press release by the Instituto Mexicano de la Propiedad Industrial (IMPI), said that the agreement aims to “provide Mexican people with a sound international protection of their…
A coalition of 22 trade groups have written a letter on the Trans Pacific Partnership to U.S. Trade Representative Ron Kirk that focuses mainly on services and investment. However, the letter also states that the TPP chapter on intellectual property…
Infojustice Roundup Declaration of Internet Freedom Last week, ninety-one organizations and thirty-eight individuals launched the Declaration for Internet Freedom, which is open for endorsements. It states: “We stand for a free and open Internet. We support transparent and participatory processes…