The United States Department of Commerce's Commercial Law Development Program (CLDP) is the lead agency of a concerted effort involving the governments of France, Japan, South Africa and the United States, alongside the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), Organisation Africaine de la Propriété Intellectuelle (OAPI), and the African Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) to organize the inaugural "Africa Intellectual Property Forum: Intellectual Property, Regional Integration and Economic Gr

On January 26, 2012, KEI sent a letter to Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, calling for greater transparency in the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA). The letter highlights the fact that the general public is kept in the dark regarding negotiating positions and the actual text while "cleared advisers" and corporate lobbyists have unequal access to information. It calls for Senator Leahy to urge the Obama Administration to release the negotiating text in order to allow full and effective public participation in our democratic society.

This was the statement delivered by CMC Churches' Action for Health intervention on 21 January 2012 on the Consultative Expert Working Group on Research and Development: Financing and Coordination at the 130th WHO Executive Board meeting.

CMC Churches' Action for Health intervention on the Consultative Expert Working Group on Research
and Development: Financing and Coordination at the 130th WHO Executive Board meeting

WHO 130th Executive Board Agenda Item 6.14

Intervention by James Love, CMC Churches' Action for Health

Since May 2009, the ACLU and Public Patent Foundation (PUBPAT) have been litigating a case involving the patent eligibility of two human genes, BRCA1 and BRCA2, associated with ovarian and breast cancer. ACLU and PUBPAT, representing the petitioners, Association for Molecular Pathology, among others, have argued that human genes are not patentable and that patents on such objects stifle diagnostic testing and further research.

For call-in details for today's event, contact Krista Cox.

On January 27, 2012, KEI will host a brown bag lunch with Shira Perlmutter. Shira was recently appointed the Administrator for Policy and External Affairs of USPTO. This position was most recently held by Albert Tramposch, who replaced Arti Rai, the first Obama appointee.

WHO reform is among the hot topics for consideration at the 130th session of the WHO Executive Board which meets from 16 January 2012 to 23 January 2012. One paper in particular, EB130/5 Add.4, entitled, "Governance: Promoting engagement with other stakeholders and involvement with and oversight of partnerships" describes how WHO may re-assess its relationship with non-governmental organizations including,

On December 7, 2011, USTR issued Federal Register Notice 76480-76481 requesting comments on "Canada's Expression of Interest in the Proposed Trans-Pacific Partnership Trade Agreement." USTR issued similar requests for comments regarding Japan's (Notice 76478-76479) and Mexico's (Notice 76479-76480) expression of interest in the TPPA.

KEI has submitted a response to this notice available for download here.

Attached is a pdf of an article in the Dutch Het Financieele Dagblad, regarding medical innovation prize funds. An html version is available here.

World Health Organization

The 130th session of the WHO Executive Board will examine inter alia, the following technical items:

Prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases (scheduled for discussion on Thursday, 19 January 2012)

On December 16, 2011, H.R. 3699, "the Research Works Act", was introduced by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-CA), Chairman of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and Committee member Rep. Carolyn Maloney (D-NY). This is how the Association of American Publishers describes the bill:

On Wednesday, December 14, 2011 the Subcommittee on Trade of the Committee on Ways and Means held a hearing on the Trans-Pacific Partnership Agreement (TPPA). Oral testimony was accepted only from invited witnesses. These witnesses included: Ambassador Demetrios Marantis (Deputy U.S. Trade Representative), Devry S. Boughner (Director, Intenrational Business Relations on behalf of Cargill Inc. and U.S. Business Coalition for TPP), Angela Marshall Hofmann (Vice President for Global Integrated Sourcing on Trade, Wal-Mart Stores), and Michael Wessel (President of The Wessel Group).

On June 11, 2011, KEI published KEI Policy Brief 2011:1, which was titled: "White House and European Commission trade official oppose waiver of drug patents for Least Developed Countries (LDCs)."

Friday, 16 December 2011
Knowledge Ecology International (KEI) side event @ 8th WTO Ministerial Conference
Geneva
Room B, Centre William Rappard, World Trade Organization
Rue de Lausanne 154
11:00 AM to 1:00 PM

The TRIPS Agreement and Copyright

Knowledge Ecology International
Introduction

TRIPS, the copyright 3-step test, and exceptions to rights

On Wednesday, 7 December 2011, the United States of America tabled a proposal on patents and health which was distributed at 6 PM by the WIPO Secretariat after much of the substantive dicussions

Standing Committee on the Law of Patents

Seventeenth Session
Geneva, December 5 to 9, 2011

PATENTS AND HEALTH: PROPOSAL BY THE DELEGATION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Document prepared by the Secretariat

Statement of Knowledge Ecology International (KEI) to the WIPO Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (SCP): Patents and Health

7 December 2011

Thank you Mr. Chair. Knowledge Ecology International has submitted its written comments on patents and health which can be found in WIPO document SCP/17/INF/3.