Susan Isiko Štrba – On the third day of its Fourth Session, the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP) embarked on the discussion on coordination mechanisms and monitoring, assessment and reporting modalities on the implementation of recommendations of the Development Agenda (DA). The discussion, which is a continued from the Third Session of the CDIP, is based on two proposals presented by Algeria, Brazil and Pakistan on the one hand and the Group B on the other.
Archive for the ‘Intellectual Property’ Category
The WIPO Developing Agenda – Some Thoughts on Coordination Mechanisms, Monitoring, Assessing and Reporting Modalities
Thursday, November 19th, 2009Genetic Resources and Traditional Knowledge: Can the New WIPO Mandate Deliver on Biopiracy?
Thursday, October 15th, 2009Sisule F. Musungu – On 1 October 2009, the last day of the 47th Series of Meetings of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) General Assemblies, a new mandate for its Intergovernmental Committee on Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (commonly known as ‘the IGC’) was agreed by the Member States. The last minute agreement, following a year of wrangling, was hailed by many as a major breakthrough (see IP-Watch story), particularly for the African Group. WIPO’s Director General called it “a real step forward”. The African Group, with the support of many developing countries, had insisted on a mandate that would deliver a ‘binding’ treaty on these issues in two years time.
WIPO General Assemblies 2009: Reflections on the Report of the Director General
Sunday, September 27th, 2009Sisule F. Musungu – Dr. Francis Gurry’s Report to the Members States of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) at the opening of the 2009 General Assemblies can be summed up as a call to rethinking and reshaping culture, systems, governance, norms and strategy. How WIPO’s culture evolves, how the global intellectual property (IP) system is governed and reshaped for the 21st Century, the balance in the norms that are generated by the organization and the strategy for engagement and dialogue will determine the contribution of WIPO to addressing today’s pressing global challenges; from development through to tackling climate change. In this post, I offer some reflections on where WIPO is one year into the new administration and on the DG’s thoughts on the challenges going forward.
WIPO General Assemblies 2009 – High Level Ministerial Segment
Tuesday, September 22nd, 2009Sisule F. Musungu – The 2009 WIPO General Assemblies opens today with, for the first time, a highly anticipated high level ministerial segment. According to a press statement released by WIPO, this segment of the Assemblies will bring together over forty ministers to discuss “national IP priorities”. WIPO argues that this high level segment reflects the importance of intellectual property (IP) in senior-policy making levels. It is worthwhile to look abit deeper and think about the implications of this new development at WIPO.
Who Owns the HIV Genome Knowledge and Why the Deafening Silence?
Monday, September 7th, 2009Hope you didn’t blink the other week or you may have missed the fact that they have mapped the HIV genome. It was in the journal Nature, on the BBC News and on Medical News Today website, among others. It’s great news as it opens up all sorts of health benefits. My worry is that it may not be great news for everyone, and the point is that the public does not know who owns the information and, therefore, does not know who can benefit or at what cost.
