US Senate Committee Evaluates US Cyber Threat Response Efforts 08/05/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Advanced cyber espionage tools are readily available for use by foreign governments and organised criminal groups to coordinate cyber attacks on US computer networks, a United States law enforcement official said today in a prepared statement to a congressional panel.
WTO Announces Next Step For Azevedo To Become New Director 08/05/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The World Trade Organization today announced that the three facilitators charged with consulting WTO members have recommended Brazilian Amb. Roberto Carvalho de Azevêdo become its next director general.
IPRs And The WTO’s New Brazilian President: Heading South, Hopefully Up 08/05/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Benny Spiewak writes on the intellectual property system and a Brazilian as head of the WTO. How an emerging economy national may affect the rules of the game.
A Battle For Open Public Data In South Africa 08/05/2013 by Linda Daniels for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Cape Town, South Africa – Amid growing calls for the controversial Protection of State Information bill to be referred to the Constitutional Court of South Africa, open data activists are fighting a separate but related battle for government to release its data to the public.
Viewing Cached Copyrighted Content Isn’t Infringing, UK Supreme Court Says 07/05/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Internet users who merely read or view copyright-protected webpages enjoy a temporary copying exception under European Union and United Kingdom law and do not need permission from rights holders, the UK Supreme Court said in a 17 April ruling.
Joint Task Force Formed On Global Networked Media 07/05/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Three media standards bodies have formed a Joint Task Force on Networked Media (JT-NM) to define a strategy to develop a packet-based network infrastructure for the professional media industry.
Common Market For Eastern And Southern Africa (COMESA) Drafts IP Policy 07/05/2013 by Linda Daniels for Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Cape Town, South Africa – The draft intellectual property policy of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA) has put IP rights at the centre of the region’s competitive growth strategy.
Infojustice.org: US, EU Demand TRIPS-Plus Concessions From Poorest Countries 06/05/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Sangeeta Shashikant writes: “Developed countries, particularly the United States and the European Union, have offered a poor and impractical deal of an incredibly short extension of 5 years with restrictive conditions to least developed countries that are entitled to be exempted from implementing the WTO TRIPS Agreement. Particularly problematic is their demand that the LDCs agree to a ‘no-roll-back’ clause, a TRIPS plus condition that will prevent LDCs from rolling back (i.e. providing a reduced degree of IP protection) their current laws, even if they adversely impact their development concerns.”
Cuba Files WTO Dispute Against Australia Over Tobacco Plain-Packaging 06/05/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Cuba has joined several other World Trade Organization members in filing a dispute settlement case against Australia over its new rules requiring tobacco products to be sold in plain packages. The measure was instituted this year as a means of reducing use of tobacco products.
GIs Closer To International Status As WIPO Committee Recommends Treaty Negotiation 03/05/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment Geographical indications might rise to the same status as appellations of origin in a World Intellectual Property Organization treaty, which member states are seeking to amend in order to attract wider membership. After a week of negotiations on a draft revised treaty, member states have decided to recommend the convening of a high-level negotiating meeting in 2015 to approve the revision of the current instrument.