US, China Talk Standards & IP, Trade Secrets, GIs, Broadcasting, Enforcement 24/11/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The 26th United States-China Joint Commission on Commerce and Trade (JCCT) meeting was held from 21-23 November, and covered a wide range of intellectual property-related areas, including standards and IP, trade secrets, geographical indications, sports broadcasting, enhanced enforcement against media boxes and unauthorised content providers, and online enforcement.
Medicines Patent Pool: First Licence Agreement For Hepatitis C Drug 23/11/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Medicines Patent Pool announced today that it signed a first licence for a hepatitis C drug with Bristol-Myers Squibb. The agreement allows manufacturing of daclatasvir, royalty-free in 112 low-and middle-income countries.
WIPO Deputy Director For Copyright Resigns 23/11/2015 by William New, Intellectual Property Watch 5 Comments The World Intellectual Property Organization Deputy Director General responsible for copyright, Anne Leer, has decided to resign her post, citing personal reasons.
WTO Committee Agrees To Keep IP From Non-Violation Complaints Until 2017 23/11/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Today, the World Trade Organisation intellectual property committee agreed on a recommendation to extend until 2017 a moratorium shielding intellectual property from a mechanism through which one WTO member can go after another member even in the absence of WTO rules infringement.
Is The Internet Of Things (IoT) Really New Or Simply Recycled? 23/11/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments There is a lot of hype around the Internet of Things (IoT) yet many, if not most, are confused by what IoT really is and what it means for their IP and their business. In fact, some people claim that the IoT is simply a matter of applying existing technology to new applications. Many companies new to the IoT market may have strong and expansive portfolio positions for assertion. This makes it difficult at best to discern whether or not IoT inventions are really new or just recycled technology. If you are a new player in the IoT market, you most likely will be filing patent applications for new innovations; however, since IoT is being built on established technology, you need to be aware that there are hundreds of technology companies that may already own the seminal foundation patents.
Nigeria Prepares To Revamp Its Copyright System For The Digital Age 22/11/2015 by Dugie Standeford for Intellectual Property Watch 4 Comments Draft rules updating Nigeria’s copyright law regime are expected to be submitted to Parliament in 2016, Nigerian Copyright Commission (NCC) Regulatory Department Head Michael Akpan has said. While the provisions have already been thoroughly vetted by stakeholders during consultations, several are likely to be challenged, he told Intellectual Property Watch. [Updated]
ECJ: Topographic Maps, Geographical Information And The Interpretation Of “Independent Material” 20/11/2015 by Marie Barani for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment The Court of Justice of the European Union gave a preliminary ruling on 29 October related to the definition of a “database,” more especially of the “independent material” constituting a database.
Romanian Parliament Eyes National Scientific Works Register To Combat IP Violations 20/11/2015 by Jaroslaw Adamowski for Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment Romanian members of Parliament have submitted a draft bill to establish a national scientific works register to combat intellectual property violations and plagiarism. These are to include theses, dissertations, articles, papers and reports. The draft, prepared by MPs from all the parties present in the Parliament, says the register is to comprise all scientific works prepared by and defended at higher education institutions which receive public funds, including private institutions which obtain some forms of funding from the state budget.
New Industry Coalition To Promote Fair Standards In Licensing 19/11/2015 by Intellectual Property Watch Leave a Comment A group of companies launched the Fair Standards Alliance this week in Brussels, aimed at ensuring licensing of standard-essential patents is done on fair, reasonable and non-discriminatory (FRAND) terms. This reflects an industry trend toward clarifying the meaning of FRAND to help boost use of patents included in standards.
WIPO Trademark Committee Paves Way For Further Discussions 19/11/2015 by Catherine Saez, Intellectual Property Watch 1 Comment A shorter than usual World Intellectual Property Organization meeting of its committee on trademarks, designs and geographical indications closed yesterday with the prospect of keeping all items on the agenda for the next session.