WHO offers few details on progress of global health and IP strategy

IP Watch released the following report on the World Health Organization’s Intergovernmental Working Group on Public Health, Innovation and Intellectual Property and their lack of transparency:
Work is ongoing within the World Health Organization on a member-mandated global strategy on public health, innovation and intellectual property, a WHO official said Tuesday. But little information about that [...]

600% increase in number of patent filings in India (from 2000-2007)

According to India’s Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion and Intellectual Property Rights, the number of patents filed in India increased by 600 per cent between the fiscal years 1999-2000 and 2006-2007.
“In the era of globalisation, the importance of IPR is growing and has become imperial to the growth of Indian economy.” — Sujit Gulati, IAS, state [...]

Patients’ Manifesto launched in European Parliament

The European Patient Forum (EPF) launched a patients’ manifesto (or bill or rights) in the European Parliament yesterday.  The following press release from the EPF outlines their call to action for the empowerment and protection of patients across Europe:
(Sept. 16, 2008)  The European Patients’ Forum launched today a Patients Manifesto in the European Parliament outlining vital [...]

Strengthening the economies of developping countries through intellectual property

As reported in This Day Online, Assistant Director General of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO), Mr Geoffrey Onyeama, has advocated a structured approach in harnessing Nigeria’s intellectual property assets, which he said  remained one of the tools for economic development.
“The most important source of technological information known to man today is the patent system. [...]

Different Perspectives on Funding Innovation – Europe vs. USA

US Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Leavitt recently spoke at a conference in Paris regarding the importance of pharmaceutical innovation.  The following article demonstrates two different perspectives on funding innovation — essentially market forces vs. government price fixing.
US Health Sec warns Europe of “world without innovation”
Government price-fixing of new medicines is “the road to [...]

France Hails Taiwan’s Intellectual Property Protection Efforts

The following article regarding Taiwan’s high standards for IPR was posted by Yahoo News.
A high-ranking French official has lauded Taiwan for achieving international standards in protecting intellectual property rights (IPR).
Benoit Battistelli, director-general of France’s National Industrial Property Institute (INPI), gave his praise in an address delivered at a forum on Taiwan’s investment environment.
Battistelli said that [...]