CAA Announces Publication of Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for the Visual Arts
[CAA] The College Art Association (CAA) has published the Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for the Visual Arts, a set of principles addressing best practices in the fair use of copyrighted materials based on a consensus of opinion developed through discussions with visual-arts professionals. It will be a vital resource for everyone working in the field, including artists, art historians, museum professionals, and editors. Initiated by CAA in 2012, the multi-year effort has been led by the Code’s authors, Peter Jaszi and Patricia Aufderheide, professors of law and communication studies respectively at American University and the leading experts on the development of codes for communities that make use of copyrighted materials in their professional practices. Click here for the full press release.
The Hague Declaration on Knowledge Discovery in the Digital Age
[thehaguedeclaration.com] The Hague Declaration is currently in draft form. The draft contains a list of basic principles. We welcome your comments on the text below. Please share your thoughts up until February 13th via the comment form on this page or on the discussion platform Discuto. Note, this document is far from final and after a further drafting process with the Declaration working group the definitive version will be released in April. “As recognised in the G8 Open Data Charter, new technologies are revolutionising the way humans can learn about the world and about themselves. Click here for more.
UNITAID: Hepatitis C Medicines – Technology and Market Landscape
[Mike Isbell, Renée Ridzon, and Karin Timmermans] Executive Summary: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a major global health problem. With 80−150 million people worldwide chronically infected with the virus, the prevalence of HCV is higher than that of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)… Widespread scale-up of DAAs [direct-acting antivirals] in low- and middle-income countries is not currently feasible due to their very high prices… The high prices of DAAs are not related to the cost of production. Assuming sufficient volumes, a recent academic analysis estimated that minimum production costs for a 12-week treatment course of several leading DAA combinations range from US$ 118 to US$193 per person. Patents pose a barrier to affordability and scale-up, although voluntary licences offer an avenue for generic production. Click here for more.
Intellectual Property Provisions in the Leaked Japanese RCEP Proposal that Threaten the Availability of Generic Medicines
[Mike Palmedo] Last week, the 16 Asian and Pacific countries negotiating the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) are meeting in Thailand. This trade agreement will include Australia, Brunei, Cambodia, China, India, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, New Zealand, Japan, the Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Thailand, and Vietnam. According to the RCEP’s Guiding Principles stated at the beginning of the negotiations in 2012, the agreement will include an intellectual property chapter to promote “cooperation in the utilization, protection and enforcement” of IPR. Click here for more.
Médecins du Monde is filing a patent challenge to Gilead’s patent on sofosbuvir at the European Patent Office
[Médecins du Monde] Doctors of the World – Médecins du Monde (MDM) has filed a European patent challenge against the Hepatitis C virus (HCV) drug, sofosbuvir. In recent months, Médecins du Monde and its partners have raised the alarm around the problems caused by the cost of new treatments against hepatitis C and of sofosbuvir [2] in particular. The U.S.-based pharmaceutical company Gilead holds a monopoly for sofosbuvir and is marketing a 12-week course treatment at extremely high prices – 41 000 euros in France and 44 000 euros in the United Kingdom – thereby hindering access to the drug for People Living with HCV. Click here for more.
Wiki-Nomics: Bringing Institutions Back into the Analysis of Copyright with a Case Study of Wikipedia
[Ryan Safner] Abstract: Wikipedia, the free online encyclopedia, stands as a highly visible success story of an organization that provides a public good, when formal theory implies it should not exist. The modern literature on intellectual property rights places the emphasis on extending the logic of property rights to intangibles, and focuses on a static tradeoff between providing incentives to overcome the free rider problem of providing a public good, and providing too much monopoly power. Click here for more.
