Industry Questions Canadian Courts’ Overturning Of Patents31/10/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a CommentIn a new blog post, Michelle Wein, research analyst with the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, criticises a series of decisions by the Canadian courts overturning certain patents based on a re-evaluation of the usefulness criterion that a patent must meet. She argues that this trend reduces the effectiveness of the international patent system, inhibits innovation and reduces the distribution of life-saving medications.
USTR Froman: FTAs A Way To Get Higher IP Standards Into Global Trade “Bloodstream”31/10/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a CommentUnited States Trade Representative Michael Froman today said that bilateral and regional agreements offer a way to get higher standards in areas such as intellectual property rights protection “into the bloodstream” of the global trading system, when it is not possible to do it through multilateral agreements.
New Trans-Pacific Partnership Caucus In US Congress30/10/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 9 CommentsA new caucus of supporters of the Trans-Pacific Partnership agreement under negotiation was launched yesterday in the US Congress.
Farmers’ Groups Warn ARIPO About Implementing UPOV 91 In Africa30/10/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 3 CommentsA collective civil society group has raised concerns about a draft Africa Regional Intellectual Property Organization (ARIPO) plant variety protection law, which is based on the 1991 version of the International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants (UPOV). The draft law, which may come up for adoption in November, would criminalise farmers’ rights and undermine the seed systems in Africa, they said.
Farmers’ Rights At Heart Of Plant Breeding IP Debate; UPOV Ponders New Members, Communication Strategy29/10/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 CommentThe international organisation providing and promoting intellectual property protection for new plant varieties held the annual meeting of its governing body last week. New member requests were examined while civil society warned against a draft African legal framework on plant variety protection that they said could impact the dominant subsistence farming systems in some African states.
US Film Industry Gives USTR List Of Biggest IP Infringers28/10/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 CommentThe Motion Picture Association of America has provided a list to the US Trade Representative’s office of the global websites and other sources the US film group says are the most copyright-infringing in the world.
At IGF, Glimpses Of Future IP Governance Overshadowed By Mass Surveillance28/10/2013 by Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch 2 CommentsAway from traditional free trade agreement negotiations with secret chapters on stricter intellectual property protection, perceptions are slowly evolving about the need to make IP systems work better. One of 100+ sessions at the 8th United Nations Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Bali, Indonesia last week featured “intellectual property exchanges” as marketplaces for knowledge. But IP policy did not take centre stage and neither did other access topics in Bali, which instead was overshadowed by the recent revelations of mass surveillance by US intelligence services.
Antigua Creating Platform To Monetise Suspended US IP Rights From WTO Case24/10/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 6 CommentsThe government of Antigua and Barbuda is said to be taking steps to set up a platform to allow the tiny Caribbean nation to monetise or otherwise take advantage of the suspension of US intellectual property rights, as it is permitted to do by a World Trade Organization dispute panel. The WTO panel had ruled that Antigua could make up its loss in IP rights for US measures blocking Antiguan online gambling in the US.
WHO Performance Undermined By Inadequate EU Collaboration23/10/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 CommentThough the WHO is among the recipients of EU contributions, support should be scaled up now that the WHO fears program cuts because of a persistent funding crisis. Revenues from a Financial Transaction Tax would be a resource for the EU to partly allocate for WHO needs, writes Daniele Dionisio.
European Parliament: No More Bank Data Transfers To US For Anti-Terror Investigations23/10/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a CommentThe European Parliament is showing some teeth again. Following the ongoing revelations of mass surveillance by US intelligence agencies, the Parliament plenary today passed a resolution calling on the EU Commission to temporarily suspend all data transfers according to the Terrorist Finance Tracking Program (TFTP) with the United States Treasury Department.
