WIPO Separates Development Issues from Standing Committee on Patents

According to he World Intellectual Property Organization's "Statement Adopted at the End of Informal Consultationsin Casablanca on February 16, 2005,"

"[T]he meeting agreed that the following six issues should be addressed in an accelerated manner within WIPO with a view to progressive development and codification of international intellectual property law: prior art, grace period, novelty, inventive step, sufficiency of disclosure and genetic resources. These issues should be addressed in parallel, accelerated processes, the first four issues (prior art, grace period, novelty and inventive step) in the SCP and the other two issues (sufficiency of disclosure and genetic resources) in the Intergovernmental Committee on Intellectual Property and Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge and Folklore (IGC). Each of the SCP and the IGC should agree on a timetable and report progress on the development of their discussions of the issues to the other. The meeting underlined the importance of the continued active pursuit of discussions and work within WIPO on issues related to development and intellectual property so that a robust, effective and actionable WIPO Development Agenda could emerge."

Curiously, "The delegate of Brazil did not associate himself with the foregoing text." Perhaps Brazil wants to join the Developed Countries Moving Patent Harmonization Talks Outside WIPO.

The next session of the SCP will convene in May 2005. The next session of the IGC will convene in June 2005. Both groups will transmit their decisions to the WIPO General Assembly in September 2005.