[Patents] BIO-IPR News: TRIPS on Trial

[seth.johnson@realmeasures.dyndns.org (Seth Johnson)]

(Forwarded from Protecting Knowledge list,
protecting_knowledge-owner@yahoogroups.com)

Numerous good references in this "BIO-IPR Resource Pointer."  Note in
particular the "TRIPS on Trial" statement at
http://www.twnside.org.sg/title/joint5.htm.

Seth Johnson
Committee for Independent Technology
seth.johnson@RealMeasures.dyndns.org


-------- Original Message --------
Date: Tue, 09 Oct 2001 22:58:18 -0700
From: Don <dbain@telus.net>


-------- Original Message --------
Date: Wed, 10 Oct 2001 13:18:08 +0800
From: GRAIN Los Banos <grain@baylink.mozcom.com>

BIO-IPR resource pointer
________________________________________________________


Kultida Samabuddhi, "Panel may sue for rice fraud - US researcher at
centre of seed row", Bangkok Post, 6 October 2001. A major row has
broken out in Thailand after an American scientist, Chris Deren,
announced that he was transforming jasmine rice with gamma rays in the
United States in order to develop new strains of the native Thai
treasure for US production. Thailand suspects Deren may have acquired
the germplasm illegally.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/061001_News/06Oct2001_news23.html

-- Daily coverage of the unfolding controversy in other issues of the
Bangkok Post (http://www.bangkokpost.com) as well as The Nation
(http://www.nationmultimedia.com)

-- See Planet Rice (http://www.planetrice.net) for additional coverage,
in particular http://www.planetrice.net/newspub/story.cfm?id=1170

-- Contact BIOTHAI (Thai Network on Biodiversity and Community Rights)
for more information mailto:biothai@pacific.net.th


"Re-thinking TRIPS in the WTO - NGOs demand review and reform of TRIPS
at Doha Ministerial Conference" is a sign-on statement initiated by
ActionAid, Berne Declaration, Centro Debate de Accion y Ambiental,
Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy, Latin American Institute for
Legal Service Alternative, Misereor, Oxfam International and Third World
Network (TWN). To endorse, please send your organisation's name and
address by email to TWN: mailto:twnet@po.jaring.my.

English text: http://www.twnside.org.sg/title/joint5.htm

Spanish text:
http://www.biodiversidadla.org/documentos/documentos178.htm


Jane Lewis (ed), "TRIPS on Trial: The Impact of the WTO's Patent Regime
on the World's Farmers, the Poor and Developing Countries", published by
Action Aid, Berne Declaration, IATP and Misereor, September 2001, 26 pp.
http://www.evb.ch/index.cfm?page_id=766

Hard copies available from Misereor mailto:biesbroc@misereor.de


GRAIN, "Official country positions on the review of Trade Related
Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Article 27.3(b)", July 2001. This
is an updated table summarising official proposals and statements of WTO
members on the life patenting provisions of TRIPS.

http://www.grain.org/publications/trips-countrypos-en.cfm


The European Patent Office has launched a new website called "EPOline".
Building on the popularity of "Esp@cenet", this site aims to put more
information about the patents EPO handles onto the Internet. Access is
free of charge. (Tip: if you need to search the full text of a patent
application, use Esp@cenet. If you want more information about specific
patents -- status, opponents, etc. -- go to EPOline.)

EPOline: http://www.epoline.org

Esp@cenet: http://ep.espacenet.com/espacenet/ep/en/e_net.htm


"IP Strategy Today", a free electronic journal, has just been launched
by bioDevelopments in the US. According to its editors, it aims to
provide a forum to share "creative, innovative and pragmatic analysis
and ideas in intellectual property (IP) strategies and management
issues." In particular, it discusses how IP affects the transfer of
proprietary agricultural technologies to developing countries and the
international exchange of genetic resources.

http://www.biodevelopments.org


The working documents for the second meeting of the World Intellectual
Property Organisation (WIPO) Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual
Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore are
starting to get uploaded onto the web. The meeting will take place on
10-14 December 2001 at WIPO's headquarters in Geneva. Also, the report
of the first meeting, held 30 April to 3 May 2001, is now available
(scroll further down the same page indicated below).

http://www.wipo.int/globalissues/igc/documents/index.html


"Cash Crops? Agricultural Biotechnology and Intellectual Property Rights
in the Developing World", transcript of a discussion held on 20 June
2001 between Jeffrey Kushan (attorney), Gary Toenniessen (Rockefeller
Foundation), John Mugabe (African Centre for Technology Studies) and
Peter Rosset (Institute for Food and Development Policy).

http://www.foodfirst.org/progs/global/biotech/gmf-debate.html


Bill Weinberg, "Bio-Piracy in Chiapas", The Nation, 20 August 2001.

http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20010820&s=weinberg


Alan R. Williamson, "Gene Patents: Socially Acceptable Monopolies or an
Unnecessary Hindrance to Research?", Trends in Genetics (forthcoming).

http://www.checkbiotech.org/root/index.cfm?fuseaction=subtopics&topic_id=6&subtopic_id=31&doc_id=1839&start=1&control=59&page_start=1&page_nr=51&pg=1


ASSINSEL (International Association of Plant Breeders), "Position Paper
on Farm Saved Seed", adopted by the industry group's general assembly in
Sun City, South Africa, on 31 May 2001.

http://www.worldseed.org/FSSe.htm


Francis Mangeni, "Technical Issues on Protecting Plant Varieties by
Effective Sui Generis Systems", South Centre, Geneva, December 2000.

http://www.southcentre.org/publications/occasional/paper02/toc.htm


S.K. Verman, "Access to Plant Genetic Resources and Intellectual
Property Rights: The Case of India", CASRIP Newsletter, Spring/Summer
2001, Vol 8, Issue 2, University of Washington School of Law, 13 pp.

http://www.law.washington.edu/Casrip/newsletter/newshome.html


Joseph Henry Vogel (ed), "The Biodiversity Cartel: Transforming
Traditional Knowledge into Trade Secrets", CARE, Proyecto SUBIR, Quito,
November 2000.

http://www.thebiodiversitycartel.com


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