US Elections, Global Economy Are Major Challenges For US IP Association 14/11/2008 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS – The American Intellectual Property Law Association faces profound political, legislative and administrative challenges in coming months, new Executive Director Q. Todd Dickinson said in a 13 November interview in The Hague. Key among them are major changes at the United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) in the new Obama administration, the fate of patent reform in the new US Congress, and the impact, if any, of the global economic downturn on patents, he said.
Doll Is New Deputy At USPTO; More Changes On The Way 14/11/2008 by Liza Porteus Viana, Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments By Liza Porteus Viana for Intellectual Property Watch John Doll will be the new acting deputy undersecretary of Commerce for intellectual property and deputy director of the US Patent and Trademark Office, replacing Margaret Peterlin, effective immediately. Meanwhile, the House of Representatives is elevating the handling of intellectual property issues. The USPTO announced Friday that […]
Trilateral IP Offices Under New Pressure To Harmonise Patent Processing 13/11/2008 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch THE HAGUE, NETHERLANDS – Patent offices are facing heat from industry to make good on promises to coordinate global processing of patent applications. Despite years of talk of streamlining the handling of applications, reducing duplication and creating more reliable international patents, agencies have failed to move ahead, Air […]
Egyptian Goddess Puts Teeth Back In US Industrial Design Rights 12/11/2008 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch For the past two decades, industrial design rights have received little respect in the United States. But no longer. The recent court ruling in Egyptian Goddess, Inc v Swisa, Inc has dramatically strengthened industrial design rights in the US, bringing the country’s protections for these rights back into line with international standards, according to many experts.
Korea Close On “Graduated Response” Bill Aimed At Copyright Infringers 10/11/2008 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Catherine Saez Korean legislation might be getting tougher on copyright infringers as a new bill is expected to be considered by the National Assembly as soon as this month, according to a Korean official. Following France, the United Kingdom and other countries, Korea’s new bill would include four changes among which is a “graduated […]
Brazil, EU Collaborate On Local Production Of AIDS Drugs In Mozambique 10/11/2008 by Claudia Jurberg for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Claudia Jurberg for Intellectual Property Watch RIO DE JANEIRO – Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Health Minister José Gomes Temporão and the President of Oswaldo Cruz Foundation, Paulo Buss, recently inaugurated an office of the foundation in Maputo, Mozambique, to produce medicines and offer courses on public health. The president, Lula, and […]
Impact Of The Probable Incorporation Of An Additional Step (Of Public Interest) In Indian Injunction Jurisprudence 10/11/2008 by Intellectual Property Watch 8 Comments By Swarup Kumar From the content of the recently decided Roche v Cipla 2008 (37) PTC 71(Del) interim order issued by Justice S. Ravinder Bhatt of Delhi High Court, it appears that an additional step, i.e., a fourth step of public interest – over and above the three-step test laid down in historic judgment in […]
WIPO Committee Advances Agenda On Copyright Exceptions, Broadcasting 09/11/2008 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By William New As the senior staff of the World Intellectual Property Organization gathered outside its headquarters Friday to set the foundation stone of a new office building, WIPO member governments were struggling inside to agree on the foundation for the future of its key committee on copyright. In the end, the committee agreed to […]
User-Created Content Shows Uncertainty In EU Copyright Law 07/11/2008 by David Cronin for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By David Cronin for Intellectual Property Watch BRUSSELS – Uncertainty surrounds the application of European Union copyright rules to material uploaded onto the internet by private individuals, a new study has found. Recent years have seen a proliferation of websites such as Facebook, YouTube and Flickr which allow their users to post photographs, articles, videos […]
EU-Africa Partnership Aims At Knowledge Access, Technology Transfer 07/11/2008 by Wagdy Sawahel for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment By Wagdy Sawahel for Intellectual Property Watch The European Commission and African Union Commission have agreed to launch six projects in science, space and information technology in a bid to strengthen African scientific capacity, promote technical cooperation, facilitate technology transfer and accelerate the development of African education and research through increasing knowledge access and narrowing […]