Former WTO Director-General, Pascal Lamy, mooted to chair Global Fund’s Equitable Access Initiative

On 14 March 2014, KEI published “Resurrecting the Ghost of Høsbjør Past: Global Fund seeks to establish global framework on tiered pricing enforced by WTO rules” in which we provided an analysis of the Global Fund’s plans to create a global framework for tiered pricing enforced by the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO). Continue Reading

WIPO General Assembly 2014: Hard Decisions on the Design Law Treaty and Treaty for Protection of Genetic Resources

The Assemblies of the Member States of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) convenes its Fifty-Fourth Series of meetings in Geneva from 22 September 2014 to 30 September 2014. These Assemblies include, inter alia, meetings of the WIPO General Assembly, the WIPO Coordination Committee, the Paris Union Assembly, the Berne Union Assembly, the Madrid Union Assembly, the Lisbon Union Assembly, the Patent Cooperation Treaty Assembly, the WIPO Copyright Treaty (WCT) Assembly and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty (WPPT) Assembly. Continue Reading

What’s in a name? Geographical indications stir the pot at WIPO trademark committee

Protection for geographical indications is an issue that divides the generally united front that Australia, Canada, the European Union, Japan, Switzerland, New Zealand and the United States maintain at WIPO and WTO negotiations on setting rules for the enforcement of patents, copyright, trademarks and industrial designs. In a 12 March 2014 piece, Europe wants its Parmesan back, seeks name change, the Associated Press reported that,

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2014, U.S. Chamber of Commerce (Global Intellectual Property Center) discussion of India

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s (Global Intellectual Property Center) submission (7 February 2014, USTR-2013-0040) to USTR’s 2014 Special 301 Review requests USTR classify India as a Priority Foreign Country specifically citing concerns over compulsory licensing. The submission noted that India… Continue Reading

WIPO hosts Conference on Open Innovation: Collaborative Projects and the Future of Knowledge (22-23 January 2014)

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) will host a “Conference on Open Innovation: Collaborative Projects and the Future of Knowledge” on 22-23 January 2014 at its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

The origins of this conference on open collaborative development models is predicated upon Recommendation 36 of the WIPO Development Agenda which states:

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