Broadcasting Treaty Moving At WIPO; Library Copyright Exceptions Slower 22/12/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments After a week of work on the three current subjects of the World Intellectual Property Organization copyright committee, member states mostly made progress on a potential treaty to protect broadcasting organisations, while exceptions and limitations to copyright for libraries, archives, education and research remain in the stage of determining broad concepts.
WIPO To Hold Conference On Open Innovation 22/12/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The World Intellectual Property Organization will hold a conference in January on open innovation and the future of knowledge, featuring some surprising speakers.
Conclusions From Top Trademark Offices Meeting 22/12/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Five top trademark offices, which call themselves the TM5, met earlier this month in Seoul, South Korea, and agreed on seminars, reports and other activities intended to improve their coordination and help fight bad practices.
Once More, US Supreme Court Will Review Software Patents 20/12/2013 by Steven Seidenberg for Intellectual Property Watch 3 Comments When it comes to software-related inventions, US patent law is a confused mess. So it was no surprise that, in early December, the United States Supreme Court announced it would weigh in on the matter. The court granted certiorari in Alice Corporation v. CLS Bank in order to decide when software-related inventions are patentable subject matter. But given the complicated technology and the high court’s confusing precedents in this area, many experts fear that the ruling in Alice will bring little clarity to this area of the law.
Report: Patents On Water Technology On The Rise 20/12/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 6 Comments A new private-sector report shows that after a downturn, patents on a range of technologies for water are back on the rise as companies are busy innovating around a basic human need and resource.
US Issues First Report On Russia’s WTO Implementation 20/12/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The first annual United States report on Russia’s implementation of World Trade Organization commitments since it joined the WTO last year shows that Russia has taken many steps to comply with its commitments on intellectual property rights. But the US report found some areas where Russia is lagging.
US, China Agree On IPR Measures, Including Training Of Chinese Officials 20/12/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The United States and China today announced agreements on a series of measures to strengthen intellectual property rights protection in China.
Another Look At Patents And Standards 20/12/2013 by Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment The new National Academies report on patents and standards is a landmark effort to shed light on the tensions between patents and standards in information and communications technology. Brian Kahin critiques the report and examines underlying problems that the report sidesteps.
Special Report: US IP Attachés Report To US Industry On Activities Abroad 19/12/2013 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment WASHINGTON, DC – The United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) programme of strategically placed intellectual property lawyers in key locations abroad continues to grow. And the annual report of a lineup of these IP attachés this week at the US Chamber of Commerce showed they are having some success.
WIPO Delegates Hear Concerns Of NGOs On Exceptions For Libraries 19/12/2013 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment As World Intellectual Property Organization member states launched into discussions on exceptions and limitations to copyright for the benefit of libraries and archives this week, non-governmental organisations were given the opportunity to present their views on the issue. They delivered vibrant, sometimes contradictory, statements on the opportunity for a treaty to preserve exceptions in the international copyright system.