PIJIP Webinar: Overview of the MedsPaL Database by Amina Maillard, Medicines Patent Pool
[September 15, 2020 | 10am EST] MedsPaL is the Medicines Patent Pool’s patents and licenses database, a free resource provides information on the intellectual property status of selected patent essential medicines in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). The database includes patent and licensing data covering over 8,500 national patent applications on 110 priority medicines (220 formulations) in more than 130 LMICs. In March 2020, it was expanded to provide patent information on treatments currently being tested for COVID-19. Click here for more.
PIJIP Webinar: Transplanting Fair Use
[September 25, 2020 | 9:30 EST] The South African President recently sent a Copyright Amendment Bill back to Parliament, including a reservation that it’s proposed “hybrid” fair use right with specific exceptions would violate the international 3-step test. The rejection of the Bill was motivated in part by US industry and official opposition. In this event, we will feature public presentations of scholars from the Global Expert Network on Copyright User Rights that examine the trend toward hybrid fair use exceptions and the premises of US industry and government opposition. Click here for more.
Global Congress: Week on Intellectual Property, Public Interest and Covid-19 – Apply Now!
For all those interested who were waiting for the development of the Global Congress in 2020, we inform you that the event and in its full version, has been postponed to the year 2021. However, we invite you to participate in the activities that we will be organizing for this 2020 to be realized between the 5th and the 9th of October 2020, in order to have a virtual meeting space for the discussion of these topics that have shown their relevance in the framework of the global pandemic. Click here for more.
Commission Consultation on Article 17 Guidance: User Rights Must Be Protected at Upload
[Paul Keller] At the end of July the Commission published a long awaited “targeted consultation addressed to the participants to the stakeholder dialogue on Article 17 of the CDSM Directive“. With this consultation the Commission makes good on its (pre-covid) promise to “share initial views on the content of the Article 17 guidance” with the participants of the stakeholder dialogue. Nestled in-between 18 questions, the consultation document provides a detailed outline of what the Commission’s guidance could look like once it is finalised. While we have been rather sceptical after the end of the six meetings of the stakeholder dialogue meetings, we are pleased to see that the initial views shared by the Commission express a genuine attempt to find a balance between the protection of user rights and the interests of creators and other rightholders, which reflects the complex balance of the provisions introduced by Article 17 after a long legislative fight. Click here for more.
Re-Thinking Global and Local Manufacturing of Medical Products After COVID-19
[Germán Velásquez] The unprecedented global health crisis caused by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic since the first quarter of 2020 has reopened the now-urgent discussion about the role of local pharmaceutical production in addressing the health needs in developing countries. The COVID-19 crisis has highlighted the interdependencies in the global production of pharmaceuticals—no country is self-sufficient. Click here for more.
Sen. Tillis Asks USTR to “Prioritize Strong Intellectual Property Protections” in Agreement with India
[Mike Palmedo] Thom Tillis, Chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property, has written U.S Trade Representative (USTR) Robert Lighthizer asking him to “prioritize strong intellectual property protections” in a trade agreement currently under negotiation with India. His letter states that “India has an unusually restrictive market when it comes to biopharmaceutical innovations,” and notes that it is regularly included in the Special 301 Report. Click here for more.
