Survey: 7 out of 8 persons say US residents should not pay more than other high income countries for NIH funded drugs

Seven out of eight persons want the NIH to use its rights in federally funded patents to prevent U.S. consumers from paying more than other high income countries, according to a survey of 170 randomly selected U.S. residents. The survey was conducted August 26 to August 28, 2013, and involved two questions regarding NIH funded drug development.

Question 1.

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TPP Trade Ministers Press Briefing/Statement (Update from 19th Round of TPP Negotiations in Brunei)

On August 23, 2013, the TPP Ministerial meeting concluded with a press briefing. Stakeholders were not allowed to attend, but according to media sources, the briefing lasted only 20 minutes and reportedly the ministers only took a handful of questions before ending the briefing. Apparently, Ambassador Froman confirmed that the October 2013 deadline was not possible, but that countries were now looking for “milestones” by October with the hope of concluding the agreement by the end of the year.

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KEI Director James Love among those selected for EFF 2013 Pioneer Awards

Today the Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) announced KEI Director James Love as one of four distinguished winners of the 2013 Pioneer Awards. The annual award recognizes the leaders who are extending freedom and innovation on the electronic frontier. In addition to Love, this year’s fellow honorees are Aaron Swartz, the late digital rights activist, and Glenn Greenwald and Laura Poitras, the journalists that broke the Edward Snowden/NSA stories.

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Michael Froman’s decision in the Apple/Samsung ITC patent dispute and the USTR trade agenda

froman.jpgOn Saturday, August 3, 2013, USTR head Ambassador Michael B. G. Froman wrote to the Chairman of the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), to “disapprove the USITC’s determination to issue an exclusion order and cease and desist order” for Apple Inc. “smart phones and tablet computers that infringe a U.S. patent owned by Samsung Electronics,” in the ITC Investigation No. 337-TA-794. Continue Reading