Top IP-Watch Stories Of 2010: Copyright Fights, ACTA, Medicines Access

At Intellectual Property Watch, a list of the top 25 posts of 2010 reveals your – our readers’ – top interests of the past year.

The clear winner in terms of frequency on the list was the Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement (ACTA), as about a third of the top stories dealt with that treaty in the headline and several more indirectly. But the top two on the list were articles about the ongoing struggle to balance the push by copyright holders for greater protection in the digital environment with the push to ensure that knowledge may be accessed by the maximum number of people. Given that stories about enforcement far outnumber stories about new ideas to spread open access or to generate revenue, one might conclude that enforcement may be the core business model for many.

Patents also came in strong on the list, with US patent reform, technology transfer, biotechnology, compulsory licences, trade and pharmaceuticals, and the US Supreme Court’s Bilski decision all making appearances.

Among the top stories was one based on a document found on Wikileaks showing undue influence of the pharmaceutical industry in the WHO’s negotiations on financing for research and development for neglected diseases.

It also is notable that stories involving the World Trade Organization generally outdid stories about the World Intellectual Property Organization, with a few exceptions, such as the WIPO Development Agenda Group.

Several of the most-read articles were pieces in the Inside Views column, which are opinion pieces from outside contributors. Near the top was a piece on technology transfer, IP and development by Cheikh Kane, a lawyer who interned with Intellectual Property Watch. Also popular during the year but not included on the list were the dozens of news briefs in our website column called the IP Burble.

There were a few seemingly unique topics that made the list, for instance, indigenous peoples’ rights. Policymakers take note: global IP policy may be ignoring indigenous rights, but our readers made that story number 12 on the list last year!

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The Top 25 IP-Watch Posts Of 2010

1. Lessig Calls For WIPO To Lead Overhaul Of Copyright System

2. Inside Views: Copyright Law Reform in Brazil: Anteprojeto or Anti-project?

3. ACTA: No More Negotiating Rounds Planned; Latest Text To Be Released

4. New Senate Patent Reform Bill Details Released

5. Europe Learns The Truth(s) About ACTA

6. Inside Views: The Relationship Between IP, Technology Transfer, and Development

7. Year Ahead: Five Key IP Cases To Watch In The United States In 2010

8. China, India To Raise Concerns At WTO About “TRIPS-Plus” Measures, ACTA

9. The Future Of Biotechnology Patents In The European Union

10. Ecuador Grants First Compulsory Licence, For HIV/AIDS Drug

11. New US IP Enforcement Plan May Have International Impact

12. UN Report: Indigenous Rights Ignored In Global IP Policy

13. Counterfeit Medicines In WTO Dispute Process, Heating Up At WHO

14. New WIPO Development Agenda Group Seeks Transformation Of UN Agency

15. Leaked ACTA Text Shows Possible Contradictions With National Laws

16. New Business Models Proposed In Debate On EU Culture And Copyright

17. Inside Views: The World Is Going Flat(Rate)

18. Efficacy Of TRIPS Public Health Amendment In Question At WTO

19. WIPO, WTO Requested To Advise On Anti-Counterfeiting Treaty

20. In Bilski Decision, US Supreme Court Adopts Tough But Vague Test for Business Method Patents

21. Confidential Documents From WHO R&D Finance Group, Industry, Raise Concern

22. FIFA, Vuvuzelas And Facebook: The Global Trophy Of IP Protection

23. ACTA Negotiators Vow To Mesh With National-Level Rights; Withhold New Text

24. WIPO Sees First Real Progress In 10 Years On Text For Protection Of Folklore

25. Submissions To US Unilateral IP Enforcement Process Highlight Piracy, Health, and ACTA

[Note: Based on Google Analytics. Results should be considered estimates and do not account for differences in the amount of time that stories were on the website from early to late in the year.]