WHO Consultative Expert Working Group on R&D Financing holds open briefing on 18 November 2011 @ 5 PM in Salle C, WHO

In May 2010, the World Health Organization (WHO) passed resolution WHA63.23 which established the Consultative Expert Working Group on research and development: financing and coordination (CEWG) to further “examine current financing and coordination of research and development, as well as proposals for new and innovative sources of funding to stimulate research and development related to Type II and Type III diseases and the specific research and development needs of developing countries in relation to Type I diseases, and open to consideration of proposals from Member States”. Continue Reading

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Special 301 on steroids? Section 205 of HR 3261, the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) is not just about the Internet

On October 26, 2011, a bipartisan group of members of the U.S. House of Representatives introduced HR 3261, the Stop Online Piracy Act, known as SOPA. While much of the bill deals with “online” piracy,” some sections of the bill appear to have nothing to do with the Internet. The bill also creates a new bureaucracy to deal with very broadly defined trade related intellectual property rights issues, including those identified in the annual USTR Special 301 report.

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WTO TRIPS Council: Ecuador questions the European Union on Italian compulsory licenses

On 25 October 2011, the WTO TRIPS Council held its annual review of the Paragraph 6 System under Item G. Under the sub-heading of alternatives to the Paragraph 6 system, Ecuador asked the European Union (EU) about the issuance of three compulsory licenses in Italy between 2005 to 2007. In its intervention, Ecuador asked the EU for more detail regarding the Italian Competition Authority’s issuance of compulsory licenses for export to Spain and other EU members in cases involving Glaxo and Merck including, but not limited to, administrative procedures, decision-making processes, and rationale. Continue Reading

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WTO TRIPS Council: US intervention on ACTA

This is the intervention that the United States made on ACTA on 25 October 2011 during the WTO TRIPS Council discussions of “Enforcement of Intellectual Property Rights”.

O. ENFORCEMENT OF INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS (PARTY III OF THE TRIPS AGREEMENT)

The United States thanks Japan for its opening remarks, with which we fully associate ourselves.

We appreciate this opportunity to share with colleagues from other WTO Members our views on the importance of enforcement and to provide some additional information on the ACTA.

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WTO TRIPS Council: Canada’s defence of ACTA in discussions of “Trends in Enforcement”

On Tuesday, 25 October 2011, Canada made the following intervention at the WTO TRIPS Council on ACTA under agenda item O, “Trends in Enforcement”.

In relation to the WTO Doha Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health, Canada asserted the following,

ACTA is also consistent with the TRIPS Agreement and the Declaration on TRIPS and Public Health and will not hinder the cross-border transit of legitimate generic medicines.
OCTOBER TRIPS COUNCIL MEETING
October 24-25, 2011
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US Copyright Office 17 priorities

Register of Copyrights Maria A. Pallante has made public the “priorities and special projects” of the US Copyright Office from October 2011 to October 2013. The ambitious work plan sets 17 priorities in the areas of copyright policy and administrative practices, and 10 special projects “to improve the quality and efficiency of the U.S. Copyright Office’s services.”

The 16 page document is available here
Comments should be sent to registerofcopyrights@copyright.gov

Here’s a quick outline:

3 Studies

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