Brian Arthur Pomper is a partner at the law firm of Akin Gump.
Mr. Pomper formerly served as chief international trade counsel to Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus (D-MT). In that role, he was responsible for advising Chairman Baucus and other members of the Senate Finance Committee on all aspects of the Committee’s international trade and economic agenda.
The National Foreign Trade Council (NFTC) submission (7 February 2014, Docket USTR-2013-0040) to USTR’s 2014 Special 301 Review contains a section on plain packaging policies in the context of the protection of trademarks. Continue Reading
According to a press release issued by the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) on 6 December 2013, four candidatures for the post of Director General were received before the deadline for nominations (5 PM, 6 December 2013) expired.
The WIPO press release noted that,
The candidates are (in alphabetical order of names of candidates): Mr. Francis Gurry (Australia), Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama (Nigeria), Mr. Jüri Seilenthal (Estonia), and Mr. Alfredo Suescum (Panama).
It is crunch time for WIPO’s Intergovernmental Committee on Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (IGC). The 26th session meets from 3-7 February 2014 in Geneva. This week’s session will focus on setting international norms for the protection of genetic resources against misappropriation and resolving two key areas of divergence: 1) the nature of the instrument and 2) the disclosure of origin requirement. Continue Reading
On Friday, 31 January 2014 (6:30 PM Geneva time) the WIPO Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (SCP) resumed in plenary mode to discuss the facilitator’s text (Mr. Victor Portelli, Australia) on the future work of this committee including activities on 1) Exceptions and Limitations to Patent Rights, 2) Quality of Patents, including Opposition Systems, 3) Patents and Health, 4 Confidentiality of communications between clients and their patent advisors and 5) Transfer of Technology.
20TH Session of the Standing Committee on the Law of PatentsStatement by Kenya
Agenda Item No. 8: Patents and Health, 28th January 2014
Thank you Mr. Chairman for giving Kenya the floor.
Kenya supports the statement made by Algeria on behalf of the African Group and the proposal put forward by the Group and the DAG.
KEI Intervention at WIPO’s SCP 20 on Patents and Health
Intervention of India at EB134 expressing solidarity with the Republic of South Africa in light of Pharmagate
During heated discussions on the topic of access to essential medicines at the 134th session of the World Health Organization’s Executive Board, India delivered the following statement on Thursday, 23 January 2014 expressing solidarity with the Republic of South Africa in light of the Pharmagate exposé.
SCP20: Opening statement of the European Union at WIPO’s Standing Committee on the Law of Patents, 27 January 2014
On 27 January 2014, Greece, on behalf of the European Union, delivered this opening statement at the 20th session of WIPO Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (SCP). The EU’s priorities for WIPO’s patent committee include quality of patents (including opposition systems), work sharing and confidentiality of communication between client and their patent advisors.
With respect to limitations and exceptions to patent rights, the EU said,