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Inside Views: Not Just A Matter Of Matter: ‘The Way Forward’ For The UNCBD, NP And Half-Earth
Prof. Joseph Henry Vogel writes: Is information something or is it about something? That is essentially the question before the Fourteenth Conference of the Parties (COP) to the 1993 United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which meets from 19-27 November 2018. And it is a “$64 billion question”. The answer could determine the modality for “access to genetic resources” and “the fair and equitable sharing of benefits” (ABS), which is the third objective of the CBD. If the information conveyed in life is something, then the obligation of benefits could be orders of magnitude greater than if that same information is only about something. Re-phrasing the question: Are Users of genetic resources accessing information? Or are they accessing matter, the properties about which are diffused over organisms and jurisdictions? Information-as-the-answer leads to an economic rationale for tens of billions of dollars in payments per year. Properties-as-the-answer justifies the “peanuts” currently being paid.
Industry News
Study: Generic Drug Industry Embraces Faster, Cheaper Pathway For Challenging Patents
A new study by researchers at the Program On Regulation, Therapeutics, And Law (PORTAL) at Harvard Medical School and Brigham & Women’s Hospital reveals that generic drug companies have been successful about 50% of the time when challenging patents covering FDA-approved pharmaceutical products via a new, administrative review procedure of patent validity created by Congress called “inter partes review.”
Industry News
Students, Activists, Swarm To Demand UCLA Drop Indian High Court Patent Claim
Thousands of students have urged a major research university in the United States to drop a patent claim in India related to an important cancer medicine, with the aim of making affordable versions available.
Industry News
New Confidential Text Shows Draft Deal On UN Tuberculosis Declaration
A newly agreed draft text of the United Nations political declaration on tuberculosis was released to governments today, affirming the use of flexibilities in international trade rules on intellectual property, but excluding actionable language on those rules.
Industry News
Inside Views: New Health Ministry Of Chile Reaffirms Path To Compulsory Licence For Hepatitis C Drugs
Last week, Chilean Health Minister Emilio Santelices, appointed by President Piñera - who took office this year - rejected an attempt from company Gilead and a Big Pharma-related association of international drug makers in Chile to put down the resolution 399/2018 declaring public health justifications for the issuing of compulsory licences for sofosbuvir to treat a hepatitis C epidemic in Chile, that was issued by the previous government of Michele Bachelet, writes Luis Villarroel.
Industry News
WIPO Publishes Report On Its Workforce
The United Nations World Intellectual Property Organization has released statistics on its workforce showing that 118 countries are represented in WIPO staff, some 50 percent of which benefit from permanent contracts, while the organisation has become a strong magnet for job applicants, over 12,000 in 2017.
Industry News
WIPO Traditional Knowledge, Folklore Committee Closes In Consensus; Experts To Help
The World Intellectual Property Organization committee charged to find effective ways to protect traditional knowledge and folklore closed a weeklong meeting in consensus on several items, among which are two revised texts to be discussed further at the next session.
Industry News
African Health Ministers Approve Roadmap For Medicines Access, Framework To End Cholera
Health ministers from the World Health Organization Africa region last week endorsed a roadmap for access for the years 2019-2023 concerning areas such as fair pricing, intellectual property management, and supply chain management. The previous day, they pledged to implement key strategies to end cholera outbreaks in the African region by 2030.
Industry News
UN Tuberculosis Negotiations: What Is At Stake?
With negotiations over the final language of a United Nations high level declaration on ending tuberculosis still ongoing, the stakes are high as different TB stakeholders await the outcome. The language in question could either raise or reduce barriers to affordable access to life-saving TB drugs, according to civil society groups.
Industry News
New Paper Looks At Differential Protection For Traditional Knowledge, Folklore
The protection of traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions (folklore) has been escaping consensus at the World Intellectual Property Organization for many years. One of the reasons for this lack of agreement is the particular nature of traditional knowledge and folklore. Some years ago, a new concept, calling for a different protection according to the degree of diffusion of this knowledge, gained support. A new paper looks into the benefits of this approach and its implementation in local contexts.
