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KEI’s opening statement at WIPO’s 2017 General Assembly focuses on role of Chief Economist

Posted on by James Love

This was delivered the afternoon on October 3, 2017.

Opening statement of Knowledge Ecology International – WIPO General Assembly 2017

Thank you, Mr. Vice President.

KEI notes the controversies around the world regarding the costs and benefits of intellectual property policies, including in particular extended terms of copyright protection in some countries, access to copyrighted works out of commerce and in teaching and research, and the role of patents in both promoting and discouraging innovation, and creating barriers to access medicine.

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KEI comments at July 25, 2017 civil society stakeholder forum at the 19th round of the RCEP negotiation

Posted on by James Love

These are the notes I used when providing the KEI comments at the July 25, 2017 civil society stakeholder forum at the 19th round of the RCEP negotiation.

My name is James Love. I work for Knowledge Ecology International, an NGO that focuses on the social aspects to the production, management and control of knowledge goods. I am also a member of the board of directors of the Union for Affordable Cancer Treatment.

The IP Chapter is complex, and in the time allocated, I will discuss five issues.

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SCP26 – Agreement reached on future work reached at WIPO Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (6 July 2017)

Posted on by Thiru

On Thursday afternoon, 6 July 2017, the 26th session of the WIPO Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (SCP), chaired by Ms. Bucura Ionescu (Romania) reached agreement on future work on the following issues: i) Exceptions and Limitations to Patent Rights, ii) Quality of Patents, including Opposition Systems, iii) Patents and Health, iv) Confidentiality of Communications between Clients and Their Patent Advisors and v) Transfer of Technology. Continue Reading →

SCP26: Statement of Knowledge Ecology International on Patents and Health (July 4th, 2017)

Posted on by Thiru

On July 4th, 2017, Andrew Goldman delivered Knowledge Ecology International’s intervention on patents at health at the 26th session of the WIPO Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (SCP).

KEI Statement on Patents and Health
WIPO Standing Committee on the Law of Patents – 26th Session

July 4th, 2017

Since the African Group and Development Agenda Group first tabled their proposal on a work program on patents and health in May 2011, much has happened.

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14 March 2017 – Senate Finance Committee grills Robert Lighthizer (USTR nominee) on trade and IPR policies

Posted on by Thiru

On 14 March 2017, the U.S. Senate Finance Committee held confirmation hearings for Robert Lighthizer, President Donald Trump’s appointee for United States Trade Representative. During the Reagan administration, Lighthizer served as Deputy US Trade Representative with the rank of Ambassador (Source: http://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/ws/?pid=41174). Prior to his tenure as Deputy USTR, from 1981 to 1983, Lighthizer served as Chief Counsel for the U.S. Senate Finance Committee. Currently, he is a partner at Skadden Arps. Continue Reading →

8 March 2017 – Statement of Portugal – HRC 34 – Panel on Access to Medicines

Posted on by Thiru

On 8 March 2017, the Permanent Representative of Portugal, Ambassador Pedro Nuno Bártolo, made a powerful intervention at the Human Rights Council’s panel discussion on access to medicines. Portugal stressed that access to medicines is a fundamental element of the right to health and highlighted how the high prices of hepatitis C and cancer medicines made them unaffordable to large segments of the population in industrialized countries. Continue Reading →

8 March 2017 – Statement of the European Union – HRC 34 – Panel on Access to Medicines

Posted on by Thiru

On 8 March 2017, the European Union (EU) delivered the following statement to the Human Rights Council’s panel discussion on Access to Medicines. As the Human Right Council imposed a strict two minute limit on interventions, the EU was not able to raise the following two questions contained at the end of its intervention.

I have two questions for the Panel.

Could the panellists suggest further measures to promote a holistic approach to access to medicines?

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8 March 2017 – Statement of the World Trade Organization – HRC 34 – Panel on Access to Medicines

Posted on by Thiru

On 8 March 2017, the World Trade Organization delivered the following statement at the Human Rights Council’s panel on Access to Medicines.

WTO statement – Antony Taubman

It’s an honour for the WTO Secretariat to join this distinguished panel. Today’s discussion is a welcome step forward in the journey together towards the shared goal of access to medicines for all, and promoting the development of urgently needed new medicines, recognizing the centrality of the human rights perspective for this collective effort.

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Notes on 2017 Special 301 Submissions

Posted on by Zack Struver

Wednesday, March 8, 2017, the Office of the United States Trade Representative (USTR) will hold the first Special 301 Hearing of the Trump administration. This year, USTR received 63 submissions in advance fo the hearing from governments, civil society organizations, and industry groups.

This blog post pulls out interesting selections from the various submissions, and includes as attachments the submissions of selected organizations.
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Ambassador Shameem Ahsan (Bangladesh) remarks on UN HLP – Opportunities to Advance Health Technology and Access

On 1 March 2017, Bangladesh, Brazil, India and South Africa, the Secretariat of the United Nations Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel on Access to Medicines and the South Centre convened a side event at the World Trade Organization (WTO) on the United Nations Secretary-General’s High Level Panel on Access to Medicines: Opportunities to Advance Health Technology and Access. This event took place on the margins of the WTO TRIPS Council.

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