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the Report
AAAS Science and Intellectual Property Project Concludes Planning Phase; Prepares
for Action
Lincoln Harris
Program Associate
The Science and Intellectual Property in the Public Interest Project (SIPPI)
is devoted to representing the public interest at the intersection of science
and intellectual property. Since it began in 2002, SIPPI has moved from its
project planning phase to its first steps in project implementation. Recently
SIPPI finished its year long planning phase that included five topical meetings
focusing on university technology transfer policies; the research exemption;
genetic research and testing; patenting criteria and scope; and, publication
and copyright. In September 2002, the project held a public meeting entitled
Science and Technology in the New World of International Intellectual Property.
Following this meeting, the SIPPI advisory committee met to discuss and select
specific project activities for the project to undertake from recommendations
made by participants at the planning meetings. Special attention was given to
the unique position of AAAS in the scientific community and how it could be
most effective in helping to shape and/or affect the intellectual property landscape.
Increasing the level of general knowledge about intellectual property is a
cornerstone of the SIPPI project. Recent policy initiatives in U.S. and European
depict an emerging trend of more and stronger intellectual property regimes.
Yet, there remains a lack of knowledge within the scientific community as to
these policy making activities and their effects on research and on the benefits
of that research reaching the public. In response, SIPPI has created a new web
site dedicated to tracking such issues. While primarily focusing on legislation
and litigation in the United States, the site also monitors international laws
and events to keep the public interest community abreast of important developments
and other issues. This new site will be available on the SIPPI website early
in 2004 (http://sippi.aaas.org).
In addition to monitoring policy, SIPPI also follows international debates
and participates in international fora. These include such international conferences
as at the Role of Science in the Information Society, and the World
Summit on the Information Society being held in Geneva, December 2003. SIPPI
was recently granted observer status to the WIPO General Assembly that will
enable it to participate in meetings of the Standing Committee on the Law of
Patents.
SIPPI will soon begin a three-year international research project to assess
the extent to which intellectual property barriers are affecting scientific
research and applications, and to identify priority areas requiring policy attention
or non-policy options. A final report analyzing the survey data and delineating
its implications will serve as the basis for a series of symposia and meetings
with the scientific community and policy makers in the U.S., Europe, and Japan.
The goal of these meetings will be not only to inform relevant actors, but to
assess the most appropriate and feasible policy responses and mechanisms to
address the problems and opportunities identified by the survey. SIPPI anticipates
that these meetings will serve as the basis for an international network collaborating
on science and intellectual property matters.
Other areas in which the project is undertaking activities include examining
issues affecting open access to scientific data, and the effects of a recent
Federal Circuit court ruling (Duke v. Madey) on the experimental use
(or research) exemption on patented technology used in non-commercially oriented
studies.
In the future SIPPI will continue to inform, educate, and discuss emerging
intellectual property issues. By maintaining contact and involvement with relevant
decision making bodies, the scientific community, and others, SIPPI will continue
to represent and promote the public interest.
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