Knowledge Ecology International

February 19, 2009

Press Advisory on NGO letters to WHO and WTO on topic of Dutch seizures of generic medicines in-transit from India to Brazil, Colombia and Peru.

In response to news about four seizures of generic medicines manufactured in India and shipped through the Netherlands in route to Brazil, Colombia and Peru, sixteen public health, consumer and development NGOs have sent separate letters to the heads of the World Health Organization (WHO) and the World Trade Organization (WTO).

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On 3 February 2009 WIPO released the revised Report on the International Patent System (SCP/12/3 Rev.2) with three annexes. Continue Reading →

On 3 February 2009, Ambassador Eckart Guth of the European Communities to the World Trade Organization made the following intervention at the WTO General Council on the subject of the seizure of losartan by the Dutch customs authorities.

WTO GENERAL COUNCIL (3rd February 2009)
Any Other Business

EC INTERVENTION

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There are plans for the next ACTA negotiation to take place in Rabat, Morocco. However, since none of the Obama trade people have been placed at USTR, this might be delayed.

The USTR is still maintaining secrecy over details of the negotiation, including the names of participants and all of the proposed texts for negotiations. Despite this, KEI has obtained some documents related to the negotiations. We can report the following:

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Judd Gregg will reportedly be appointed as Sec. of Commerce today.

Here a few data points on pharmaceutical issues.

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Over the past several weeks there have been a several cases where some well motivated and knowledgeable persons about copyright policy have expressed criticism of an effort by WIPO to negotiate a treaty for persons who are blind or have other reading disabilities, on the grounds that this is not ambitious enough, and a larger all inclusive treaty on limitations and exceptions should be the target.

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On 21 January 2009, WHO released a document (EB124/16 Add.2) relating to the global strategy and plan of action of the public health, innovation and intellectual strand of its work entitled “Proposed time frames and estimated funding needs“. This document is a costing exercise to “estimate funding needs for the implementation of the plan”. Continue Reading →

The 13th session of the WIPO Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (SCP) will take place from March 23, 2009 to March 27, 2009 in Geneva at WIPO headquarters. The WIPO Report on the International Patent System is the first substantive agenda item of the 13th session. Continue Reading →