Senate HELP subcommittee hearings on S.1138, the HIV/AIDS prize fund
Update: the hearing web page is here: http://www.help.senate.gov/hearings/hearing/?id=2d5dda75-5056-9502-5d1a-2a40d8a92d51
On May 15, 2012, the Primary Health and Aging Subcommittee of the Senate HELP Committee will hold hearings on S.1138, the Prize Fund for HIV/AIDS.
COMMITTEE ON HEALTH, EDUCATION, LABOR AND PENSIONS
Primary Health and Aging SubcommitteeHEARING NOTICE
Is the WHO CEWG proposal for the R&D treaty “too small”?
The WHO’s Consultative Expert Working Group (CEWG) on R&D proposal for a new WHO Convention on health R&D has been widely praised by public health groups (See https://www.keionline.org/node/1399). The CEWG proposal for a treaty has also, at least so far, avoided much criticism from the pharmaceutical industry, even though it strongly embraces the notion of delinkage of R&D costs from product prices, open innovation, and technology transfer and capacity building in developing countries. Continue Reading
USTR’s 2012 Special 301 Report, focuses on largest developing country markets, and Canada
The 2012 USTR Special 301 Report was published on April 30, 2012. The report details USTR’s unilateral standards for the granting and enforcement for a diverse set of intellectual property rights, and singles out countries that USTR claims do not… Continue Reading
Senate HELP Committee proposes evaluation of Innovation Inducement Prizes, as alternative to product monopolies
In the United States Senate, the Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions (HELP) is trying to move forward a bill titled the “Food and Drug Administration Safety and Innovation Act.” Among other things, the bill would “amend the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act to revise and extend the user-fee programs for prescription drugs and medical devices, establish user-fee programs for generic drugs and biosimilars,” and address a number of other topics, such as extend the legal monopoly on antibiotic drugs by 5 years. Continue Reading
The 2012 WIPO/Library of Congress International Copyright Training symposium for developing countries
This week WIPO and the Library of Congress are holding a week long symposium on International Copyright, with title:
Emerging Issues in Copyright and Related Rights for Developing
Countries and Countries with Economies in Transition
organized by
the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO)
in cooperation with
the United States Copyright Office, Library of Congress
Washington D.C., March 19 to 23, 2012
History of 28 USC 1498, as reported in Zoltek Corp v US (2009-5135)
This March 14, 2012 opinion by the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit provides a discussion of some elements of the history of 28 USC 1498, beginning in 1894, through changes in the law in 1910, 1918,… Continue Reading
1 KEI Statement on India’s granting of compulsory license to patents on cancer drug sorafenib (NATCO Vs. BAYER)
The India Controller General Controller General of Patents, Designs & Trade Marks has just (March 12, 2012) issued an order granting a compulsory license to patents on the cancer drug sorafenib/Nexavar, in the matter of NATCO Vs. BAYER. A copy of the decision is attached below.
What’s (still) wrong with ACTA, and why governments should reject the illegitimate agreement
This is a blog about the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA). More information is available here: /acta
ACTA is an attempt to bypass multilateral institutions
IIPA Special 301 complaints regarding unauthorized copying of textbooks and other educational materials
USTR asked to use trade pressure to curtail unauthorized copying of educational materials
Size Matters: PhRMA’s Special 301 picks for South America.
Every year, USTR publishes the names of countries that do not adequately protect intellectual property rights. (See /ustr/special301) . Among the classifications are the Priority Watch List (PWL) and the somewhat lower status Watch List (WL).