The international financial crisis has affected migrants and remittance receivers worldwide. The loss of jobs in large economies, such as the United States, has led migrants to reduce the remittances they send to their families. The World Bank’s prediction for 2008 was a decline in remittances of 4.4% to Mexico, India and China, the top receivers of remittances in the world. Many low income countries may not be in a position to assist families that counted on the remittances for their basic needs. Governments may need to review their policies or implement new ones to fill this gap. The economic crisis may encourage or force migrants to return home. Despite the fact that government action is fundamental to deal with the economic crisis, collective efforts from different stakeholders, including diasporas, is highly recommended. (more…)
Archive for March, 2009
Migration & Development: Tackling the Impact of the Financial Crisis
Thursday, March 26th, 2009Client-Attorney Privilege - A Comment on WIPO’s Take
Wednesday, March 25th, 2009It is the study with which WIPO Secretariat appears most comfortable with. The clarity on what the problem is, the international dimension of the problem and options for possible solution are all quite clear. But among the four studies under discussion in the WIPO Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (SCP), it is also the study that justifies, the best, my argument in the earlier post on the changing landscape of WIPO’s patent agenda that the jury is still out on how much WIPO has changed on the subject of patents. (more…)
Commentary on WIPO’s Study on Dissemination of Patent Information
Wednesday, March 25th, 2009Among the four preliminary studies being discussed by WIPO at the 13th Session of the Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (SCP) this week is a study titled Dissemination of Patent Information. This is an informative and useful background document regarding the theory of patents as a source of information and potential pathways to access such information. The study also provides useful details regarding WIPO’s current information services and planned projects. (more…)
Commentary on the WIPO Study on Standards and Patents
Tuesday, March 24th, 2009At this week’s WIPO Standing Committee on Law of Patents (SCP) meeting the main discussion centres on four preliminary studies prepared by the WIPO Secretariat. The studies relate to: patents and standards; exclusions from patentable subject matter and exceptions and limitations to patent rights; dissemination of patent information; and client-attorney privilege. As I noted in my earlier post on the changing landscape of WIPO’s patent agenda, all the preliminary studies are worth reading. Each of them deserves some commentary and I start with the study on patents and standards. I comment, in separate posts to come, on each of the other preliminary studies. (more…)
The Changing Landscape of WIPO’s Patent Agenda
Sunday, March 22nd, 2009In my earlier writings on World Intellectual Property Organization’s (WIPO) work on patents (e.g., in the paper in 2003 on TRIPS-plus at WIPO with Graham Dutfield and a 2005 paper on Rethinking Innovation and Development) I characterised WIPO’s Patent Agenda as one driven by a partisan Secretariat (the International Bureau), in industry and ideology-dominated processes and lacking in socio-economic analysis. Since then, thanks to, among other things, the development agenda process in WIPO and enlightened leadership, a lot has changed. (more…)
