The Future Now: Canada’s Libraries, Archives, and Public Memory

[Michael Carroll] I recently served on an expert panel convened by the Royal Society of Canada to do a report on the future of libraries and archives in the country.  That report has now been published – The Future Now: Canada’s Libraries, Archives, and Public Memory.  … It explores how libraries and archives can best adopt to changing digital technologies and cultural practices. Click here for more.

India: Public Notice Requesting Comments on the Proposed National IPR Policy

[Indian Government Release] Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion has constituted an IPR Think Tank to draft the National Intellectual Property Rights Policy and to advise the Department of Industrial Policy and Promotion on IPR issues. … interested persons may send their comments in respect of the proposed National IPR Policy for consideration by the said IPR Think Tank through the dedicated e-mail ID, i.e., ipr@nic.in, positively by 30.11.2014. Click here for the notice from the Government of India.

UNESCO y ALADI publican documento sobre información y conocimiento abierto

[UNESCO press release] La Oficina Regional de Ciencias de la UNESCO para América Latina y el Caribe y la Asociación Latinoamericana de Integración (ALADI) presentarán el documento “La información y el conocimiento abierto en el contexto de la cooperación multilateral”… La construcción de una Agenda del conocimiento abierto, universal y accesible es la base de las sociedades del conocimiento, y este documento conjunto ofrece conceptos fundamentales sobre estos temas, al tiempo de identificar las principales barreras a los desafíos de propiedad intelectual y cómo estas impactan en la circulación de conocimiento y particularmente la cooperación Sur-Sur. Click here for more.

Nov 24: The Role of Patents in Pharmaceutical Innovation – Lessons to Be Learned

[PIJIP] Public Citizen Global Access to Medicines Attorney Burcu Kilic will discuss her new book, Boosting Pharmaceutical Innovation In The Post-TRIPS Era: Real-Life Lessons for the Developing World. This timely book investigates the concept of innovation and illustrates the crucial role that patent strategies play within processes of pharmaceutical innovation. Drawing on extensive country and company case studies, it identifies the key issues relevant to the revival of local pharmaceutical industries The event is open to the public and will be webcast. Click here for more.

After Special 301 Listing, Indonesia Plans Tough New IP Enforcement Measures

[Mike Palmedo] Ahmad M. Ramli, the Law and Human Rights head of Indonesia’s Intellectual Property Rights Directorate General, has told the Jakarta Post that the government will introduce tough new IPR enforcement measures next year.  According to the story, he “said that the government would increase its efforts to combat copyright piracy across the archipelago. They planned to increase the detention period for violating intellectual property rights from the current four years to 10 years. Perpetrators would also be fined RP 4 billion (US$ 327,895). ‘We will also detain merchants of fake products for four years,’ he said, adding that they would apply sanctions against every mall permitting outlets to sell fake products.” Click here for more.

UN Agencies’ Report on Pacific Trade & Human Rights: Excerpt on State Obligations on IPR, with Focus on Vanuatu

[WHO, UNHCHR, UNDP] This case study on Vanuatu highlights the human rights dimension of the connection between trade agreements, intellectual property rights (IPR) and traditional knowledge (TK) in Pacific Island Countries. IPR are linked to the enjoyment of a range of economic, social and cultural rights, the rights to health, education, and food in particular. [91] However, it is often very challenging to get a comprehensive understanding of the exact nature of the relationship between IPR and human rights in a particular country or region, as local contexts have a profound effect on their inter-relationship. Click here for more.