Brief note on the Brussels TRIPs +10 Conference

["EMMOTT Steve" <semmott@europarl.eu.int>]

Title: Message

The Commission this week held a two-day Conference on TRIPs Ten Years later. I didn't attend all the sessions but you can find some of the Conference documents on http://europa.eu.int/comm/trade/issues/sectoral/intell_property/pr110604_en.htm

 

Lamy's speech was interesting from the point of view that he put some emphasis on the need for delivery of "global public goods" and collective IP rights. Of course it cost him nothing, since these are not top of the list in the TRIPs Council.

 

Vandana was one of the few who insisted on talking about life patents and 27.3b but I did not get the sense that this was a major problem area for the majority of the audience.

 

Much of the Conference was taken up with counterfeiting and enforcement issues and the problem of multiple patent-stacking getting in the way of research. Do not hold your breath for any new initiative from the EU on the TRIPs review.

 

 

Steve

 

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Steve Emmott
Advisor-WTO
Greens/European Free Alliance Group
European Parliament
1047 Brussels

 

Tel/fax Brussels +32 2 284 2026
Tel. Strasbourg +333 88 17 3741

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