World Trade Organisation [to 28 February 2015]
http://www.wto.org/english/news_e/news_e.htm
[We limit coverage to regional and global level initiatives, recognizing that a number of country-level announcements are added each week]

24 and 25 February 2015
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY: FORMAL MEETING
Poorest states seek more time on medical patents, and members discuss women and innovation
The least developed countries proposed extending their deadline for protecting and enforcing pharmaceutical patents and clinical data, and delegates exchanged information on their policies for boosting the role of women in innovation, when WTO members met as the intellectual property council on 24–25 February 2015.

The new deadline would exempt them from having to protect and enforce pharmaceutical patents and clinical data submitted to obtain marketing approval until they graduate from “least-developed” status. The proposal is being made now because a 2002 decision is due to expire at the end of 2015.

Least developed countries also benefit from a general extension of the deadline to protect intellectual property and implement other WTO intellectual property obligations, including for pharmaceuticals. This is now 1 July 2021 under a 2013 decision covering all intellectual property. Because the newly-tabled proposal was not on the meeting’s agenda, but was mentioned under “other business” the discussion was brief, with a more substantial debate likely at the next meeting in June…