25 November 2010

The fourth day of WIPO's Committee on Development and Intellectual Property(CDIP6) has witnessed a rich discussion on how to implement Recommendation 36 of the WIPO Development Agenda which states:

Recommendation 36 (Cluster D): To exchange experiences on open collaborative projects such as the Human Genome Project as well as on intellectual property models

Knowledge Ecology International made the following intervention today at the 6th Session of the WIPO Committee on Development and Intellectual Property (CDIP).

KEI statement to WIPO CDIP 6 on Agenda item 5

Thank you Ambassador and congratulations on your appointment as Chair of this Committee.

The 6th session of the WIPO Advisory Committee on Enforcement is taking place in Geneva from 1-2 December 2010. KEI's observations on the 5th session, entitled, Positive outcome reached at WIPO Advisory Committee on Enforcement while ACTA looms in the East can be found here:http://keionline.org/node/681.

On November 19, 2010, Knowledge Ecology International, Medecins Sans Frontieres/Doctors without Borders, Oxfam America and Public Citizen answered a Request for Comments from the US Department of Commerce on a proposal to "Incentivize Humanitarian Technologies and Licensing Through the Intellectual Property System".

Today I am attending a meeting at the European Parliament on new models of innovation for medical technologies. The event was organized by three MEPs, Thijs Berman, Eva Joly and Carl Schlyter, in collaboration with the European Parliament Working Group on Innovation, Access to Medicines and Poverity-Related Diseaes, and several consumer rights, public health and development NGOs (TACD, Health Action International, KEI, Oxfam and IQsensato).

In a October 19, 2010, Senators Bernard Sanders (I-VT) and Sherrod Brown (D-OH) wrote to David Kappos, the Director of the USPTO, asking for an assessment of conflicts between the October 2010 ACTA text, and U.S. law. (attached here).

Undersecretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property, David Kappos

From: James Love
To: Michele Woods
Cc: Nancy Weiss
Subject: Some examples of US inconsistency with ACTA
Date: Fri, 12 Nov 2010 07:29:09 -0500

This note cites several areas where US law is plainly inconsistent with
ACTA.

In addition, in a separate analysis,I have called attention to proposed
legislation in USA on orphan copyrighted works that are very
inconsistent with ACTA provisions on remedies.
http://www.keionline.org/node/980

Some examples of inconsistencies between ACTA and US law

Sometime very early Saturday morning, SCCR 21 ended with these conclusions.

This was our 400 word statement at the WIPO SCCR 21.

Statement of KEI at WIPO SCCR 21, November 11, 2010

There should be a compelling rationale for creating new global norms for copyrights.

KEI opposes work on a new broadcasting treaty, and supports work on performers treaty.

KEI supports work at the SCCR on new possible norms for copyright limitations and exceptions, particularly as regards to access to knowledge, and uses of new technologies.

Today, Wednesday November 10 2010, during the 3rd day of the WIPO SCCR21, the Group B presented a proposal for a Work Program on copyright exceptions and limitations for the WIPO SCCR. Group B is the negotiation group that groups developed countries like US, EU, Switzerland and others.

The proposal is available here

The following proposal for a road map for the SCCR's consideration of limitations and exceptions was submitted by the African Group on Tuesday, 9 November 2010.

On 10 November 2010, Knowledge Ecology International will hold a side event from 13:30 to 14:45 in the Uchtenhagen room at WIPO which shall address the question, "What should the WIPO SCCR do about limitations & exceptions: the way forward"? Speakers include representatives from the Centre for Internet & Society, Egypt, the International Publishers Association, KEI and the South Centre. This is an open event. Please see below for details.