SCCR 34 May 2, 2017 Short update

Just like since yesterday afternoon, the WIPO Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights has convened in informal. Some members of delegations and NGOs are staying in the main room and are listening to the discussions but cannot participate nor report on anything that is being said.

It is frustrating of course but it looks as if it will be the “new process of negotiation” for the time being. As one person said to me “secret negotiations regarding broadcasting, cablecasting and webcasting at WIPO? what could go wrong?”

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SCCR34 Statements regarding the Broadcasting Treaty

EUROPEAN UNION:

The treaty on broadcasting organizations is a high priority for the European Union and its Member States. We are strongly committed to advancing work on the various work of the previous sessions. We look forward to discussing the issues set out wherein.
We hope that further progress can be made on the basis of the revised consolidated text, on the rights to be granted and other issues that has been prepared nor this session.

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General Statements by Regional Groups regarding the Agenda of SCCR 34

GRULAC:

COLOMBIA: Thank you, Mr. Chairman. The delegation of Colombia has the honor of making this declaration on behalf of the group of Latin America and Caribbean countries. We congratulate you on the chairmanship of this important committee and we congratulate your new vice chairs.

We remember the important work of the previous chair and vice chairs. We would like to thank the Secretariat for preparation and organization of this session and also for publication of the documents for our consideration.

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WIPO SCCR 34 May 1, 2017 Day 1: Agenda and Election of New Chair and Vice Chairs

The DG, Franci Gurry, started the SCCR meeting with a summary of the issues to be discussed, some old (Broadcasting treaty, Limitations and Exceptions for libraries, archives, museum and education and for people with other disabilities) some new or “exploratory” (GRULAC proposal on copyright and digital works and resale rights):

DIRECTOR GENERAL: […]
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How Sanofi Prices Its MS Drug Aubagio (Teriflunomide) in the U.S. and Five Reference Countries

The U.S. Army recently rejected requests by public interest groups, Senator Bernie Sanders, and almost a dozen House Democrats to refuse to grant Sanofi an exclusive license on patents on a Zika virus vaccine, or, alternatively, to ensure that the license included terms assuring that U.S. taxpayers would not pay a higher price than other high-income countries. Specifically, KEI proposed the following terms to be included in the contract:

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U.S. Army Rejects Pricing Concerns in Grant of Exclusive Patent License to Sanofi on Zika Vaccine

Today, KEI received a letter from the U.S. Army dated April 21, 2017, signed by Barry M. Datlof, in which the Army largely rejected concerns raised in comments submitted by KEI and various other public interest groups related to the proposed grant of an exclusive license to the French drug company Sanofi on a U.S. Army-invented vaccine for Zika virus.
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2017: KEI, UACT Request that Trump Administration Reevaluate Xtandi Petition

Knowledge Ecology International and the Union for Affordable Cancer Treatment sent a letter to Secretary Tom Price of the Department of Health and Human Services, and to Secretary Jim Mattis of the Department of Defense, requesting that the Trump Administration reevaluate the January 2016 Xtandi petition that the government use its rights in patents under the Bayh Dole Act (35 U.S.C. Continue Reading