Three-Step test in copyright negotiations
In recent and current negotiations over copyright norms, the U.S., the European Union and some other high income countries have asked for provisions in the agreement that limit copyright limitations and exceptions to some type of “three-step-test.”
WTO TRIPS Council (November 2012): Brazil and United States table agenda item on Intellectual Property and Innovation
The following WTO airgram WTO/AIR/4020 (12 October 2012) contains the agenda for the upcoming WTO Council for TRIPS meeting to be held in Geneva from Tuesday, 6 November 2012 to Wednesday, 7 November 2012. The airgram notes that Brazil and the United States have made a written request for an agenda item on “Intellectual Property and Innovation (agenda item M). Agenda item F covers the “Review under Paragraph 8 of the Decision on the Implementation of Paragraph 6 of the Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health”.
Here below is the WTO airgram in full.
WIPO GA 2012 calls upon the SCT to expedite work on a Design Law Treaty
After lengthy informal negotiations on 7 October 2012, the plenary of the WIPO General Assembly (GA) 2012 resumed after 18:00 to present the consensus language on the decision point concerning agenda item 28 (ii) on the Standing Committee on the Law of Trademarks, Industrial Designs and Geographical Indications (SCT). In particular, the GA agreed to expedite the work of the basic proposals for a Design Law Treaty. In 2013, the GA would “take stock of and consider the text, progress made, and decide on convening a diplomatic conference”. Continue Reading
KEI statement to the Standing Committee on the Law of Patents on patents on health
US department of Commerce heavily redacts FOIA request regarding Thailand compulsory license
What type of leverage has the Obama Administration used to pressure Thailand to prevent the granting of compulsory licenses on drug patents? The US Department of Commerce has just released a FOIA request with 298 pages of documents on this topic. 136 pages of the FOIA are for a Fall 2010 masters theses by Stephanie Tranchevent Rosenberg (pages 36 to 171 of the FOIA). Continue Reading
Statement of KEI to the 2012 WIPO General Assembly: Agenda item 26: Report on the work of the SCCR
4 October 2012
Agenda item 26: Report on the Work of the Standing Committee on Copyright and Related Rights (SCCR)
Statement of Knowledge Ecology International
WIPO General Assembly 2012
WIPO GA, notes from October 3, 2012
This morning, under agenda item 6, the WIPO General Assemblies decided to defer a decision until 2013 on the application for accreditation by Pirate Parties International. I was told that the US, Switzerland the France raised objections in the informal consultations, and that some other European countries wanted to raise objections, but found it awkward given the recent success of domestic Pirate Parties in national elections. The USA said it asked for a hold on the decision until WIPO could decide if it wanted to accept political parties as WIPO observers. Continue Reading
General Statement of Chile to the WIPO General Assembly 2012 (calling for WIPO to conclude a Treaty for VIPs)
Fernando Schmidt, Subsecretario de Relaciones Exteriores de Chile (Vice-Minister of External Relations, Chile), delivered the following general statement on 1 October 2012. Chile acknowledged that while a favorable environment in WIPO proved conducive to the successful passage of the Beijing Treaty on Audiovisual Performances, major challenges remained. Of great import was the convening of a diplomatic conference in 2013 to conclude a Treaty for the Blind which would be a milestone in the multilateral intellectual property system. Continue Reading
General Statement of Development Agenda Group to WIPO General Assemblies (delivered by Brazil)
The general statement of the Development Agenda Group (DAG) was delivered by H.E. Ambassador Roberto Azevêdo (Brazil) on 1 October 2012.
On the pressing issue of a treaty for copyright exceptions for the blind, the Development Agenda Group noted that,