Intellectual Property/TRIPS

South American Ministers vow to avoid TRIPS-plus measures

31 May, 2006
Martin Khor (TWN), Geneva, 24 May 2006
The Ministers of Health of ten South American countries have issued ajoint declaration on intellectual property committing themselves toavoid 'TRIPS plus' provisions in bilateral and regional trade agreements, to facilitate the use of compulsory licensing and parallel importing and to avoid broadening the scope of patentability and the extension of patentable areas.

New WIPO treaty may remove South's ability to decide on patents

27 March, 2006
Martin Khor, TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (Mar06/8)
Developing countries risk losing their present flexibility to decide on the standards for granting patents if developed countries' proposals for a new WIPO treaty on patents are adopted.

Problems for South from SPLT highlighted at forum

9 March, 2006
Sangeeta Shashikant, TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (Mar06/10)
Basic problems and practical difficulties in the attempt by WIPO members to globally harmonise patent laws were highlighted on the second day of the WIPO open forum on its draft Substantive Patent Law Treaty (SPLT) on 2 March.

Speakers warn against patent harmonization at WIPO forum

9 March, 2006
Sangeeta Shashikant, TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (Mar06/9)
Several speakers at the opening day of the WIPO open forum on its draft Substantive Patent Law Treaty (SPLT) warned about the dangers of the global harmonization of patent laws that the SPLT is aiming at.

Clash over patents on genes and on medicines as WIPO forum ends

9 March, 2006
Sangeeta Shashikant, TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (Mar06/11)
The final day of the WIPO open forum on patents saw heated exchanges on the impact of patents and 'flexibilities' of the system on access to medicines, as well as an interesting debate on whether genes and life forms should be patented.

WIPO: Slow discussions on categorising Development Agenda issues

6 March, 2006
Sangeeta Shashikant, TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (Mar06/1)
The WIPO meeting on a Development Agenda was moving slowly towards how to categorise the many proposals presented by members, so that further discussion can be held on how to treat these proposals.

WIPO: Development meeting ends with 111 proposals in 6 clusters

6 March, 2006
Sangeeta Shashikant, TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (Mar06/2)
The WIPO meeting on a Development Agenda ended on 24 February evening with an agreement that the next session would discuss six major themes with a total of 111 proposals that have been identified for a Development Agenda for WIPO.

WIPO meeting discusses African and Colombian proposals

22 February, 2006
Sangeeta Shashikant (TWN): Geneva, 23 Feb 2006
The third day of the meeting of the WIPO's Provisional Committee on Proposals Related to a Development Agenda (PCDA) discussed proposals of the Africa Group and Colombia.

WIPO: Most delegations and NGOs support 'public domain' proposal

21 February, 2006
Sangeeta Shashikant (TWN) Geneva, 22 Feb 2006
The importance of the 'public domain' in knowledge and the need to protect it from the incursion of private rights was a strong theme on the second day of the WIPO meeting on the Development Agenda initiative taking place here this week.

Development: Development Agenda process resumes in WIPO

21 February, 2006
By Sangeeta Shashikant, TWN Info on WTO and Trade Issues (Feb06/14)
The process on a Development Agenda for the World Intellectual Property Organisation resumes with a week-long meeting starting 20 February.

WIPO: G77 calls for structured talks at Development Agenda meeting

20 February, 2006
Sangeeta Shashikant (TWN)
The start of substantive discussion on the Development Agenda was delayed at a WIPO meeting on Monday due to wrangling over who would be the Chair.

CBD meeting ends with draft elements of Access and Benefit Sharing Regime

10 February, 2006
By Chee Yoke Ling, TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (Feb06/3)
The main ingredients of an international agreement on access and benefit sharing (ABS) under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) have been set out in a document at the end of a week-long meeting of the CBD's working group on access and benefit sharing held in Granada on 30 Jan to 3 Feb.

TRIPS transition period for LDCs extended 7.5 years with conditions

5 December, 2005
By Sangeeta Shashikant, TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (Dec05)
Least developed country members as a group were granted extension of transitional period for 7.5 years to apply the provisions of the TRIPS Agreement. The extension is however subject to conditions that have been criticized by experts as severely constraining the benefits of the extension granted.

Poorest countries given more time to apply intellectual property rules

28 November, 2005
WTO
Least-developed countries have been given an extension until 1 July 2013 to provide protection for trademarks, copyright, patents and other intellectual property

No Progress on GIs

23 November, 2005
Washington Trade Daily
The chairman of Doha Development Agenda's trade-related intellectual property negotiations

LDCs request exemption from TRIPS for another 15 years

27 October, 2005
By Martin Khor, TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (Oct05)
The least developed countries in the WTO have made a request to the TRIPS Council to extend the transitional period for their implementing the TRIPS Agreement for a further 15 years after the present transition period expires at the end of this year.

Impasse on talks on TRIPS and Health 'permanent solution'

27 October, 2005
By Martin Khor (TWN), TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (Oct 2005)
An impasse became evident on negotiations on the major remaining issue relating to the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health when some key members appeared far apart on a solution, and disagreed even on how the process of consultations is going on, during a meeting of the TRIPS Council on 25 October.

WIPO general assembly to decide on key issues

26 September, 2005
Martin Khor, TWN Info Service on WTO and Trade Issues (Sept05/11)
This year's WIPO General Assembly, which begins Monday 26 September and will run to 5 October, will have a full agenda, with many decisions to be taken that will have significant effect on the future of the organization.

India's Nath Pushes TRIPS and CBD

22 August, 2005
Washington Trade Daily
Indian trade minister Kamal Nath last week urged his counterparts in Africa and South America to stand tough against the United States in the Doha Development Agenda negotiations by adopting an 'aggressive strategy' for agreement on biodiversity and traditional knowledge

Civil Society Statement to the Trade Experts Meeting preparing for the Meeting of the Ministers Responsible for Trade in Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Livingstone, Zambia, 25 June 2005

25 June, 2005
IAfrica
Civil Society Statement to the Trade experts meeting preparing for the meeting of the ministers responsible for trade in LDCs