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Member states of the World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) attending the Standing Committee on the Law of Patents (SCP) in Geneva from June 23 to 26, 2008, began a comprehensive review of issues relating to the international patent system. Maximiliano Santa Cruz of Chile chaired the meeting, and 85 member states and 24 observer delegations attended it.
Following a decision of the WIPO General Assembly in autumn 2007, discussions in this week's meeting of the SCP focussed on a report on the international patent system prepared by the WIPO Secretariat to facilitate the process of establishing a work programme for the SCP. The report provides an overview of current international patent issues, and attempts to cover the different needs and interests of all Member states. Consisting of 10 chapters, the report touches on three broad areas -- economic rationale of the patent system and its role in innovation and technology dissemination, legal and organisational aspects of the patent system, and issues that are particularly relevant to broader policy considerations and development concerns.
Many delegations recognised that the report covered a wide range of issues relating to the patent system and constituted a good basis for discussion. Mindful of the mandate given to it by the WIPO General Assembly in 2007, and thus working towards a work programme, the SCP identified a non-exhaustive list of issues for further elaboration and discussion.
The Committee agreed that the report should remain open for written comments until the end of October 2008 and for discussion at the next session of the SCP in early 2009. (Source: WIPO)
July 2, 2008
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