Wednesday 23 March 2016

Caroline B Ncube

South Africa hosts UN High Level Panel on Access to Medicines

Judge Cameron 
On the 16th - 17th March 2016, the UN's High Level Panel on Access to Medicines (HLP) convened hearings, a thought-leaders' forum and a dialogue in Sandton, Johannesburg (see the program here). This follows similar engagements in London on the 9th - 10th March. The Johannesburg hearings were held on the 16th. They were private and entailed an audience with the Panel for some of those who had submitted written comments to the panel. On the evening of the 16th, the thought leaders' forum was chaired by the Director-General of South Africa's Department of Health and HLP member, Precious Matsoso. Judge Edwin Cameron and Dr Sikhumbuzo Ngozwana addressed the gathering. Their talks were followed by lively discussions prompted by questions from the floor.


participants at the Joburg Dialogue
On the 17th, a five-hour global dialogue was conducted with remote participation from Bangkok. The entire proceedings were recorded and may be viewed from the HLP's website.  IP-Watch has posted a comprehensive account of the day's deliberations here and many participants were live-tweeting using the hashtags #JoburgDialogue and #UNSGAccessMeds, so I will only comment on two highlights of the day. The first was the consistent and constructive engagement by patients in the dialogue. This gave a much-needed human face to discussions and impressed the plight of patients on the HLP members. The second highlight was the TAC's picket which was staged outside the dialogue venue. Panel members went outside during the tea-break to receive a petition (the Johannesburg Declaration) from the picketers.

The HLP will now deliberate on written submissions and the oral interventions made at its hearings and dialogues held in London and Johannesburg. According to its timeline, the HLP will present its final report to the UN Secretary-General in June 2016. Whatever position this report takes and however the UN chooses to take its recommendations forward, the global dialogues presented a very welcome opportunity for most stakeholders to express their views and propose solutions to enhance access to medicines. 
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Tuesday 8 March 2016

Afro Leo

Upcoming INTA Meetings in Africa

International Trademark Association: PowerfulNetworkPowerfulBrands
Pre-Annual Meeting Reception
INTA cordially invites you to attend its Pre–Annual Meeting Reception and Roundtable in Pretoria.
This Pre-Annual Meeting Reception is planned exclusively for you and your colleagues to learn more about INTA’s 2016 Annual Meeting in Orlando, FL. Feel free to bring a friend, co-worker or prospective member to find out about INTA’s Annual Meeting in Florida and to discover all the benefits INTA offers. We hope to see you there!

Why you should attend:
Exchange valuable learning experiences and success stories from past Annual Meetings.
Network and meet new professionals with a common interest in trademark law.
Mingle with friends and peers.
Date:
March 17, 2016
Time:
4:30 pm–6:00 pm, followed by a reception
Location:
Spoor & Fisher
Building No. 13
Highgrove Office Park, Oak Avenue
Centurion, Pretoria
South Africa
Hosted by: Spoor Fisher

Roundtable:Intellectual Property

Guest Speaker:
Justice Louis Harms, Retired Deputy President of the Supreme Court of Appeal. View his full CV here.

Admission: Everyone is welcome. Bring a friend, co-worker or prospective member to learn about this meeting and all the benefits INTA offers. We hope to see you there

To confirm your attendance, please RSVP by Thursday, March 10. If you are not currently an INTA member, you will need to create a username and password to register for this event. If you have any questions, please contact Gwynneth Goodspeed.
INTA’s 2016 Annual Meeting in Orlando, Florida, USA, takes place May 21–25. The Annual Meeting is the trademark community’s premier event for networking, continuing legal education and committee and client meetings. Last year’s Annual Meeting was attended by 10,000+ IP professionals from 140 countries. Learn more at www.inta.org/2016AM.

Save the date for two great events in South Africa later this year!

INTA–BASCAP Workshop: Intermediaries and Rights Holders—Working Together to Stop Counterfeiting and Piracy
August 31, 2016, Cape Town, South Africa

Building Africa with Brands Conference
September 1–2, Cape Town, South Africa


And...

Afro-IP blogmeister Darren Olivier will also be speaking at next week's Brands and Sports Conference in New York City 15-16 March 2016

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