World intellectual property organisation (WIPO) is the premier international organisation regarding intellectual property rights (IPRs). The sixteenth session of the WIPO’s Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (SCP) was recently conducted from 16th to 29th May, 2011.The SCP discussed various far reaching issues like patents and public health, technology transfer, and exceptions and limitations to patents. Although these issues are most arguable ones yet some progress has been shown in this session of SCP.
Issues like Pharmaceuticals and Public Health, Data Exclusivity, Technology Transfer, etc are still to be resolved at the International Level, informs Praveen Dalal, managing partner of New Delhi based IP and ICT Law Firm Perry4Law and a Panelist at WIPO Arbitration and Mediation Centre. We welcome the latest effort of SCP and consider it as the beginning of Future Negotiations, says Dalal.
Developing nations are still struggling to deal with technological issues and technology transfer is a must to successfully meet them. While developing countries are insisting upon effective technology transfers yet developed countries are not that enthusiastic regarding the same.
Similarly, the data exclusivity issues are also a bone of contention. European Union and developed countries are insisting upon the same while it is not covered by TRIPS Agreement.
Let us see how future negotiations in these crucial fields would take a shape that can be beneficial for both developed and developing countries.
