By Mara Kardas-Nelson This article was originally published in the Mail&Guardian on 15 March 2013. The original is available at http://mg.co.za/article/2013-03-15-a-shocking-disregard-for-generics Many drugs cost far more in South Africa than in countries with strict patent-vetting processes. Two thousand four hundred and forty-two. That’s the number of medicine patents South Africa granted in 2008. In Brazil, […]
READ MOREPhotographs from the TAC/MSF picket at Gallagher Estate, directed at the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), can be found here. The picket took place on 26 February 2013 during the DTI’s ‘AFrica IP Forum’.
READ MORE27 February, MIDRAND – Yesterday, TAC activists picketed at the Africa Intellectual Property (IP) Forum and handed over a memorandum to Rob Davies, Minister of Trade and Industry, before his keynote address. Activists were demanding that the draft IP policy, that will lead to patent law reform, be made public. Minister Davies responded that the […]
READ MOREJOHANNESBURG, 25 February – This week the South African Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) sponsors a high-level forum to discuss harnessing intellectual property (IP) to encourage African economic development and prosperity. Yet the DTI’s own new draft Policy on Intellectual Property still languishes out of sight and mind for most […]
READ MOREFor over a year, TAC has eagerly been awaiting the release of the intellectual property (IP) policy for South Africa. TAC has closely followed the development of the policy as it will impact on the price of medicines in the future. During a TAC/MSF meeting last year, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) announced […]
READ MOREFor years, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) has been drafting an intellectual property (IP) policy that reviews all IP-related legislation in South Africa. Noting with concern the high price of medicines in South Africa, TAC has closely followed the DTI’s development of the policy, which could recommend that South Africa utilize key legal […]
READ MORERepublished from Times Live. This article was originally published on 6 December at http://www.timeslive.co.za/thetimes/2012/12/06/review-medicine-patents By Katharine Child HEALTH activists say South Africa’s patent system allows pharmaceutical companies to license any drug they wish, making many medicines prohibitively expensive. They are calling for a review of the system to prevent what they term “abuse”.
READ MOREImportant new paper describes why and how India set up a patent examination system The South African patent office does not substantively examine patent applications. As long as administrative requirements are met, patents are usually granted. As a result, many patents of poor quality are granted. A University of Pretoria study estimated that had the […]
READ MOREJOHANNESBURG, 9 NOVEMBER 2012 Thank you all for coming and welcome to Johannesburg. We are joined today by over 40 activists from all parts of the world, including organisations of people living with HIV, MSF, as well as individual experts and lawyers who have fought for the rights of people to access affordable quality medicines. […]
READ MOREBy Lieve Vanleeuw The Council for Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights, or “Council for Trips”, on November 7, 2012 received a request from least developed country members for an extension of their transition period under article 66.1 of the TRIPS agreement. Article 66.1 recognises the “need and requirements of least-developed country members, their […]
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