Today the government of Antigua is seeking final WTO authorization to launch a website that will sell copyright-infringing content without paying American rightholders in retaliation for the U.S.’s violation of the WTO General Agreement on Trade in Services. The U.S.…
The Second Global Congress on IP and the Public Interest begins today at 9:00 in Rio de Janeiro (6:00 EST). The link for the webcast of the public session of the Global Congress will be at You can find the…
Led by Haiti, least developed country Members of the WTO have on November 5 filed a so-called “properly motivated” request under Art. 66.1 of the TRIPS Agreement for a collective extension of the transition period within which they must become…
[Reposted from kieonline.org] The World Trade Organization (WTO) held its fourth review of Israel’s trade policies and practices on 30 October 2012 and 1 November 2012. The review is based upon a report by the WTO Secretariat (WT/TPR/S/272) and a…
In 2006 an Extraordinary Conference of the African Ministers of Council on Science and Technology meeting in Cairo mooted the idea of establishing a Pan-African Intellectual Property Organization (PAIPO). Since then, nothing much has been publicly discussed about the nature…
Last week, the World Intellectual Property Organization hosted meetings on the treaty for the visually impaired. Progress was slow, and observers are asking whether WIPO will be able to conclude the negotiations by December as planned. WIPO released a new…
Proposed Pan-African IP Organization a Terrible Idea In a stunning development, following an obscure vote of Heads of State at the Africa Union in 2007 (Assembly Council 138(VIII)), the AU Scientific, Technical, and Research Commission has proposed a draft statute…
[World Bank Paper by Hanif Rahemtulla, Samantha Custer, Irina Tisacova, Kaushal Jhalla, Soren Gigler, and Charles Brigham.] ABSTRACT: … In April 2011, Moldova became one of the first countries in the region, and among the first 16 countries in the…
AstraZeneca has concluded research agreements with the South African firm iThemba, the University of Dundee and the University of California at San Francisco through WIPO’s “RE:Search” program. A WIPO press release has announced that agreements will enhance the “study novel…
The WIPO Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR) concluded its 24th session last week. Activists supporting the treaty for limitations and exceptions for visually impaired persons were disappointed with moves by the US and EU delegations to block…
This blog is a summary of a July 25 satellite event at the XIX International AIDS Conference titled “Improving Access and Innovation in HIV Treatment: The Medicines Patent Pool and Other Approaches.” The event was hosted by the Medicines Patent…
This blog is a summary of a panel titled “The Future of Affordable Antiretroviral Treatment: Trends in Patents and Price” at the XIX International AIDS Conference in Washington, DC on July 25, 2012. The authors’ presentations are available on a…