WHO releases names of experts and advisor to the Emergency Committee concerning Influenza Pandemic (H1N1) 2009

WHO has released the ‘List of Members of, and Advisor to, the International Health Regulations (2005) Emergency Committee concerning Influenza Pandemic (H1N1) 2009‘ at the following site: http://www.who.int/ihr/emerg_comm_members_2009/en/. Of the 15 members and one advisor, 6 had declaration of interests. On this matter, WHO had the following statement:

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Written submission U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Hearing on Treating Rare and Neglected Pediatric Diseases: Promoting the Development of New Treatments and Cures

Written submission U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) Hearing on Treating Rare and Neglected Pediatric Diseases: Promoting the Development of New Treatments and Cures, On the topic of Direct funding, subsidies and incentives for the development… Continue Reading

Summary Report of WIPO’s expert group deliberations on a sui generis legal regime to protect folklore

WIPO’s First Intersessional Working Group (IWG 1) concluded its five days of deliberations on Friday, 23 July 2010 substantially closer to its goal of establishing a sui generis legal regime for the protection of traditional cultural expressions/expressions of folklore. On Friday, the WIPO secretariat distributed a summary report of the first IWG (attached below). Continue Reading

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WIPO drafting groups release text for a possible legal instrument for the protection of traditional cultural expressions

As mentioned in two previous KEI blogs, the WIPO’s First Intersessional Working Group received its mandate from the 16th WIPO Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (IGC) to ‘provide legal and technical advice and analysis, including, where appropriate, options and scenarios for consideration of the IGC’ including the outcomes, recommendations and texts relating to the discussion specifically on a working document containing draft provisions for a possible instrument for the protection of traditional cultural expressions/e Continue Reading

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KEI interventions on a possible WIPO legal instrument for the protection of traditional cultural expressions

As mentioned in a previous piece entitled WIPO expert committee deliberates on road map to protect traditional cultural expressions, WIPO has convened an intersessional working group (IWG) comprised of experts from countries and observer organizations to examine draft provisions of a document prepared by the WIPO secretariat on ‘The Protection of Traditional Cultural Expressions/Expressions of Folklore: Revised Objectives and Principles‘. The IWG runs from July 19-23, 2010. Continue Reading

Luc Devigne’s role in ACTA negotiations

On Saturday, July 17, 2010, I said on twitter, “Apparently Luc Devigne is out as head #acta negotiator for EU.” There were a number of sources for this inside the European Union and also among other trade bodies or governments following or participating in the ACTA negotiations.

This was re-tweeted extensively, and resulted in various commentary and reporting on LucDevigne’s rule in ACTA, including speculation on the reasons for the change.

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