Music Creators Unite To Lobby US Congress On Music Modernisation Act20/04/2018 by Emmanuel Legrand for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a CommentWASHINGTON, DC — What better way to get the music community’s message across than sending an army of creators to meet with policymakers. In a nutshell, that’s the purpose of Grammys on the Hill, an initiative from the Recording Academy, which organises the prestigious US music awards, and which has also developed a strong advocacy activity.
Dozens Of NGOs Oppose Proposed EU Watch List On IP Rights16/04/2018 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a CommentA wide-ranging list of international nongovernmental organisations today issued a letter to European Trade Commissioner Cecilia Malmström opposing a proposal to establish a “watch list” of countries deemed failing to protect European intellectual property. The groups raised concern that the list would violate World Trade Organization rules on intellectual property, have a chilling effect on developing countries’ public health initiatives, and lead to expanded and untenable levels of IP enforcement.
China’s “Theft” Of Foreign Technology Prompts Unlawful US Response, Experts Say13/04/2018 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch 1 CommentThis time Donald Trump was correct: China has, for years, unfairly obtained and exploited American intellectual property and technology. But Trump’s response – imposing $50 billion in tariffs annually on a wide variety of Chinese imports – is problematic, experts warn. The tariffs appear to violate World Trade Organization rules, undermine the international rules-based economic order that has served the West well for decades, and threaten to ignite a trade war between the world’s two biggest economies.
US House Judiciary Committee Approves Landmark New Copyright Package Seen Likely To Advance12/04/2018 by Emmanuel Legrand for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a CommentAmerican songwriters and performers achieved a rare feat in a highly polarized and partisan political environment: unite policymakers from all sides of the House of Representatives, and even get on board tech companies and broadcasters to support the most significant piece of copyright legislation in the United States since the 1998’s Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).
Taiwan IP Office Moves Beyond Politics To Forge Links With Other IP Offices, Enforce IP Rights10/04/2018 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 CommentTAIPEI, Taiwan — The building is impressive. Taiwan’s intellectual property office, located in the Dan-an district of Taipei, deals with patents, trademarks, designs, and utility models. Not being a recognised member of the United Nations, Taiwan cannot access the World Intellectual Property Organization treaties, in particular the Patent Cooperation Treaty. However, Taiwan is dedicated to enforcing IP rights, and entertains agreements with several IP offices in the world, including China, which is Taiwan’s major trading partner.
Ending Unauthorised Access To Genetic Resources (aka Biopiracy): Bounded Openness06/04/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment“Access to genetic resources” and “the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from their utilization” have beleaguered all thirteen Conferences of the Parties to the 1993 United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), a group of academics writes. The expression in quotes constitutes the third objective of the Convention and is intertwined with the first two, conservation and sustainable use. It goes by the acronym “ABS”. Despite 25 years of efforts and an annual bio-economy of nearly one trillion dollars, few contracts have ever been concluded. And of those very few, the monetary benefits are so low that contracting parties are loathe to disclose them. The “Brazilian ABS Law” of 2015, which came into effect on 6 November 2017, even allows royalties on net sales to be as low as one tenth of one percent. In the words of one distinguished legal scholar, Users are paying “peanuts for biodiversity.”
US Imprisons Chinese Scientist For Theft Of Engineered Rice Seeds04/04/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a CommentA Chinese scientist has been sentenced to jail for more than 10 years for conspiring to steal samples of a highly developed variety of genetically modified rice seeds from a Kansas biopharmaceutical research facility, the US Justice Department said in a release.
US Says China’s WTO Case On Steel, Aluminum Baseless, Not Safeguards04/04/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a CommentThe United States today said China’s request for dispute settlement consultations at the World Trade Organization is “baseless,” as the recent US measures against imports of Chinese steel and aluminum are not safeguards and so do not warrant the $3 billion in retaliation subsequently announced by China. Nevertheless, the US said it is willing to hold consultations with China, but not related to the WTO Agreement on Safeguards.
The Price Of China’s Forced Transfer Of US Tech and IP? USD 50 Billion In Tariffs, US Says04/04/2018 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a CommentThe Trump administration today (3 April) published a list of Chinese exports to the United States which could be subject to as much as US$ 50 billion in tariffs in retaliation for policies it says have forced the unfair transfer and theft of US technology and intellectual property.
Coming To Your Door: USTR Trade Barriers Report Lists Concerns To Raise With Trading Partners01/04/2018 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a CommentThe newly released United States government annual report on trade barriers for US exports provides a laundry list of issues it views as inhibiting US products and services from being treated fairly or sufficiently protected in its key trading partners. Among the many issues are many concerns about intellectual property rights, digital trade, broadcasting, pharmaceuticals and more.
