In the midst of the controversy surrounding the release of a Trans Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPP) negotiating text on intellectual property by Wikileaks yesterday, over 80 law professors of intellectual property law and related disciplines have written to President Obama,…
[UN Development Programme, Link] This study focuses on policy options available to South Africa through reform of three interrelated areas of law affecting access to HIV treatment and other essential medicines: patent, competition and medicines law. The recommended reforms are…
[by Jonathan Band and Peter Jaszi] The Marrakesh Treaty, adopted by the World Intellectual Property Organization this past summer, provides Contracting Parties with great flexibility concerning the implementation of its obligations. Article 4(2) sets forth one way a Contracting Party may…
Two events this week will examine issues in international intellectual property. September 11, The Promise and the Peril of Intellectual Property Licensing for Indigenous Assets. September 12, The Marrekesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually…
On June 27, 2013, a Diplomatic Conference of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) held in Marrakesh, Morocco adopted the “Marrakesh Treaty to Facilitate Access to Published Works for Persons Who Are Blind, Visually Impaired, or Otherwise Print Disabled.” The…
[Reposted with author’s permission from TWN Info] The United Nations Human Rights Council has adopted a resolution on access to medicines despite opposition from the United States and the European Union. This was at the 23rd session of the Council…
[Published in SUNS #7614 dated 27 June 2013] Marrakesh, 26 Jun (K. M. Gopakumar) — Major breakthrough negotiations on an International Treaty for Visually Impaired Persons/Persons with Print Disability concluded late night on 25 June. The Treaty creates a legal…
[Caterine Saez, IP Watch (CC-BY-SA)] Marrakesh, Morocco – The mood was one of celebration at the Marrakesh Palais des Congrès to greet the success of World Intellectual Property Organization negotiators in their attempt to produce a draft treaty text showing…
Joint Statement by 26 NGOs, June 21, 2013 [PDF] On 11th June 2013, the WTO TRIPS Council took a decision (IP/C/64) to extend for a further 8 years, the flexibility of least developed country (LDC) Members under Article 66.1 to…
In the digital rights and access to knowledge movements, we spend a lot of our time fighting against bad proposals, that limit the public domain, restrict user rights such as fair use or fair dealing, and control the way we…
By John Wonderlich. Reposted from the Sunlight Foundation Blog (CC-BY) The G8 countries today released a new declaration, and with it an Open Data Charter policy paper, which together constitute a significant high-level commitment to open data and transparency. Sunlight…
[Ahmed Abdel Latif and Pedro Roffe, ICTSD; IP-Watch (CC-BY-NC-ND)] To what extent can global intellectual property rules address in an effective manner the needs of the most vulnerable members of society? This is the key question facing member states of…