Intellectual Property

Statement, July 2017

South Centre Statement to the 26th Session of the WIPO Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (SCP)

The 26th session of the WIPO Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (SCP) is meeting this week at the WIPO headquarters in Geneva. The South Centre is participating in the current session of the SCP as an observer. The following statement was delivered by the South Centre on the first day of the current session of the SCP.

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Policy Brief 40, June 2017

Outcomes of the Nineteenth Session of the WIPO Committee on Development and Intellectual Property: A Critical Reflection

Despite the high relevance of the issues discussed in the agenda of the WIPO Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP), the effectiveness of the CDIP in leading the development orientation of the work of WIPO has diminished remarkably. Under the banner of the implementation of the Development Agenda recommendations agreed in 2007, significant reform was expected, but today much continues as business as usual.

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Research Paper 77, May 2017

Access to Hepatitis C Treatment: A Global Problem

“Viral hepatitis is an international public health challenge, comparable to other major communicable diseases, including HIV, tuberculosis and malaria. Despite the significant burden it places on communities across all global regions, hepatitis has been largely ignored as a health and development priority until recently”. – WHO, Global Health Sector strategy on viral Hepatitis 2016-2021: Towards ending viral hepatitis

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Research Paper 75, March 2017

Implementing Farmers’ Rights Relating to Seeds

The concept of Farmers’ Rights recognized the role of farmers as custodians of biodiversity and helped to draw attention to the need to preserve practices that are essential for sustainable agriculture. This paper examines one particular aspect of such rights, perhaps the most controversial. It deals with the component of farmers’ rights referring to the use, exchange and sale of farm-saved seeds. Although that concept was initially introduced in 1989 with the aim of balancing the rights of farmers as breeders and of commercial plant breeders, a specific reference to the rights relating to seeds was only introduced upon the conclusion of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA) in 2001.

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Policy Brief 39, May 2017

Highlights of the WHO Executive Board: 140th Session

The World Health Assembly (WHA), the highest body of the World Health Organization, will be meeting from 22-31 May 2017.

Earlier in January, the Executive Board of the WHO met and discussed on various strategic issues that will be carried forward to the WHA.

In this light, the South Centre has prepared a timely summary report in the form of a policy brief of the discussions that took place at the EB, to assist delegates and other stakeholders in their preparation for the discussions in the WHA.

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IP Negotiations Monitor 21, April 2017

The IP Negotiations Monitor summarizes the latest developments in multilateral and regional fora where intellectual property negotiations are taking place, and informs on upcoming meetings and events.

(Covering period: January – March 2017)

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Policy Brief 37, March 2017

The Need to Avoid “TRIPS-Plus” Patent Clauses in Trade Agreements

A recent article in a prestigious journal reminds us of how the intellectual property chapter of free trade agreements can prevent the sick from getting treatment.  This article also critiques the TPP clauses and warns that they should not be translated to national laws or copied into other FTAs being negotiated. 
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