Roche Relinquishes Trastuzumab Patent in India: Campaign Urges Fast Track Approval for Bio-Similars
[Campaign for Affordable Trastuzmab] Swiss pharma major Roche has just announced that it is relinquishing the patent for its breast-cancer drug Trastuzumab (Herceptin) in India. The announcement comes in the face of mounting challenges – from both civil society and the Ministry of Health – to Roche’s monopoly on this life-saving drug. The Campaign for Affordable Trastuzumab welcomes the announcement, that comes appropriately on India’s Independence Day and brings hope of a disease-free life for the thousands of Indian women who are battling HER2+ breast cancer. Click here for more.
The US’s Domestic and Foreign Copyright Policies for Promoting the Creative Economy
[Jonathan Band] Earlier this summer, I gave a talk in Seoul, Korea regarding how the United States actually has two copyright policies: one domestic and one foreign. These policies differ both in terms of how they are formulated, and what they say. Although these two policies have started converging, they still aren’t the same. Click here for more.
The Gatekeeper’s Keys: the Strategy of Intermediaries on the Internet and the Impact on the Digital Surroundings
[Center for Studies on Freedom of Expression and Access to Information, Palermo University] The responsibility that intermediaries must have regarding the behaviour of their users on the Internet has increasingly been discussed in Latin America. For States and certain private sectors, the intermediaries- the companies that provide the Internet connection or the social network we use every day- are called to act as gatekeepers on the network in order to combat defamation and online piracy, among others. This, however, is not a debate limited to the interests of the State and the companies offering services on the network. The digital environment has become an extension of the physical space, where citizens exercise rights such as access to information, education and freedom of expression. To that extent, regulatory solutions in this area should take into account the rights and power of socially desirable goals. Click here for more.
With One Exception Current Trade Agreements Do Not Appear to Include Biologic Medicines in their Data Protection/Data Exclusivity Provisions – Implications for TPP Negotiation
[Brook Baker] The U.S., acting on behalf of the U.S. biologics industries, will soon be trying to convince parties to the TPP that they should adopt extended data exclusivity for biologics (at least 12 years) as part of the intellectual property chapter. As part of its marketing strategy, the U.S. is trying to convince parties behind the scenes that biologic data exclusivity is already included in US FTAs and indeed in some of the FTAs already binding certain TPP parties. Contrary to this assertion, there is no precedent for data protection for biologics at all in existing US FTAs, let alone for for the extended data exclusivity that the US will be seeking. TPP parties should reject the US data exclusivities as TRIPS-plus, both for chemical entity pharmaceuticals and biologics. Click here for more.
Chilean Senators Formally Request Public Debate on the Trans Pacific Partnership
[Mike Palmedo] Chilean Senators Navarro, Gomez and Tuma introduced a proyecto de acuerdo to the Senate that asks the President to open a public debate on the Transpacific Partnership Agreement (TPP). It formally requests the President to provide “timely and accurate” information on the affects the agreement will have on Chile domestically, and on economic and international relations, including Chile’s trade relationship with China. The request notes that both former Direcon Director Carlos Furche and economist Osvaldo Rosales have warned the TPP may not offer significant benefits to Chile, because it already has trade agreements with the other TPP members. Click here for more.
Indian Ministry of Human Resource Development Launches the National Repository of Open Educational Resources
[NROER] The National Repository of Open Educational Resources (NROER) is a collaborative platform, involving each and every one of us interested in children, teachers and education. The Repository will endeavour to bring together all digital and digitisable resources for the school system – for all classes, for all subjects and in all languages. The Repository is an initiative of the Department of School Education and Literacy, Ministry of Human Resource Development, Government of India and the Central Institute of Educational Technology, National Council of Educational Research and Training. Metastudio, the platform hosting the Repository is an initiative of the Gnowledge Labs, Homi Bhabha Centre for Science Education. Click here for more.
CEO Compensation in the Copyright-Intensive Industries
[Jonathan Band and Jonathan Gerafi] Last week we released a study on CEO compensation in copyright-intensive industries. We found that for the past six years, the CEOs of firms in copyright-intensive industries received significantly higher compensation than the CEOs of the firms in the other industries we used for comparison (construction, transportation, and mining). For example, in 2012, copyright-intensive industry CEOs received $22.9 million on average in compensation, while the CEOs in the other industries received $7.4 million. In other words, the 2012 compensation of copyright-intensive industry CEOs was more than triple the compensation of CEOs in the other industries. Click here for more.
Creative Commons Global Summit 2013 Arrives in Buenos Aires
[Creative Commons] The Creative Commons Global Summit will be held from August 21 to 24 at the San Martín Cultural Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The event will bring together activists and academics from 100 countries to discuss the present and future of the international free culture movement… The summit agenda includes more than 60 sessions and panel presentations on topics such as copyright reform; CC licenses in educational, cultural, and artistic projects; relationships with governments, academia, and civil society; and the development of business models with an open and collaborative structure. Click here for more.
Registration Open for the 3rd Global Congress on IP and the Public Interest, Cape Town, December 9-13
[Global Congress/Open Air] In December 2013, delegates from national and international governmental entities, the private sector, civil society and academia will gather for five days of interconnected events in Cape Town, South Africa. Hosted by the University of Cape Town (UCT), participants will engage with diverse perspectives and future scenarios for intellectual property (IP), innovation and development during the combined 3rd Global Congress on IP and the Public Interest and Open A.I.R. Conference on Innovation and IP in Africa, running from 9 to 13 December 2013 in Cape Town. Click here for more.
