[Ecommerce] More on wealthy nations and harmonisation meeting in DC

[Manon Ress]

See story at:
http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/index.php?p=3D18&res=3D1024_ff&print=3D0

QUOTE
12/2/2005
Wealthy Nations Move Ahead With Patent Harmonisation

by William New @ 4:03 am

Washington, D.C.=96The nations responsible for the majority of the world=92=
s
patent filings have agreed to move ahead with private negotiations to
iron out differences in their patent regimes. The talks will take place
outside the Geneva-based World Intellectual Property Organisation, where
negotiations by the full body on patent harmonisation are stalled.

The effort led by the United States to move the debate outside WIPO has
raised alarm for some developing nations who fear the meetings are
intended to pressure them and WIPO to trim development objectives from
the negotiations.

But participants afterward sought to put a positive spin on the meeting,
downplaying suggestions that it represented a threat to developing
countries and WIPO, and arguing that it would ultimately contribute to
the WIPO process. The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), which
organised and hosted the meeting in Washington last Thursday and Friday,
directly countered the suggestion of a threat.

SNIP
Mike Kirk, executive director of the American Intellectual Property Law
Association (AIPLA), said in an interview, =93If WIPO does not find some
way to move forward, they=92re going to be marginalised.=94 A former U.S.
official and =93long-time supporter of WIPO,=94 he added, =93The WIPO proce=
ss
has been stalemated and has come to a screeching halt because of
developing countries throwing sand in the gears.=94

=93We are coming to a situation =96 in the coming years =96 where WIPO is
going to have to confront whether it can continue to be an effective
institution,=94 Kirk said. =93If not, I expect we will see an effort to wor=
k
in parallel or totally outside=94 the organisation.
END OF QUOTE

--
Manon Anne Ress
manon.ress@cptech.org,
www.cptech.org

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